Letters from Home
by hiddenshadowwolf
Summary: Book 2 of Kismet. Shredder has been defeated and everyone came home alive, if only barely. But some wounds don't leave scars, and when those injuries affect those you look to as an example and a leader it can put more strain on a family than one turtle can take before he snaps. Can an unlikely Sensei save the family dynamic before a new evil comes knocking at their door?
1. Aaliyah's Recovery

This idea comes from the anguish that the 2003 Leonardo faced after Utrom Shredder's defeat and the strain that the 2016 Leonardo seems to be under at the beginning of the Out of the Shadows movie. Please note that this story took shape before the 2016 movie and is based on an AU established in the Kismet Universe. This is not meant to be an alternative to the 2016 TMNT movie. This does, however, pick up just a little bit before Kismet left off in that last chapter. I hope you enjoy this continuation of that story!

Note to readers: this is to be a companion chapter to go along with the last chapter of Kismet. If you read these two chapters side-by-side I've purposely tried to make them overlap a bit. The parts that Donnie focuses on and the parts that Aaliyah focuses on are done the way that they are on purpose. Donnie's not very big on recording anything too juicy in his medical journal... so luckily that's where Aaliyah's POV comes in ;). I told you things would heat up eventually and now you patient, wonderful people will get your juicy goodness. Enjoy the sin, children.

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The first time I woke up after being sent back down here to this version of earth all I can remember is pain. Pain in my side that was like a hot knife through to my middle. I wasn't awake for very long, nor did I want to be awake for very long. I think I woke up because my throat felt like the Saharah Desert but the pain was bad enough I didn't dare move or breathe too hard. So calling out to Donnie who was probably nearby wasn't an option. Not enough of one for me to dare do anything other than just sit and endure the pain. That's basically all I can remember from that whole first week after The Battle. Waking up occasionally with some small need but forgetting it almost immediately because of how badly that stab wound hurt.

By the end of the week Donnie's nerves were pretty shot. I remember that. Mostly I just wanted to sleep. At least while I'm asleep my side isn't on fire and I don't have to worry about being waited on.

But Donnie didn't like it when I did that. Especially by the end of that first week of awfulness he wanted me awake. Wanted me eating. My stomach was punctured by Shredder's claws and he wanted me eating. Why he wanted me to eat so badly I didn't quite understand. I just wanted to sleep. But for Donnie I ate anyways, sipping so damn pitifully at broth you'd think I was 127 years old and on life support. But it takes the worry out of Donnie's eyes so against the racking pain in causes I sipped carefully at the spoon until I could not any longer.

This dragged on for days, for weeks, until finally my eyes weren't so heavy and the pain wasn't so unbearable that the need to sleep was overwhelming. I don't remember ever waking up in those days and not seeing Donatello by my side. Or Leo by Sensei's. And comforting as that should sound it was also my turn to worry a little bit. Donnie said I'd lost a dangerous amount of weight. I say he'd lost about the same between the sleepless nights and the stress. He looked about as good as I felt even though I tried to dissuade the anxious way he constantly checked on me by joking about it. I felt like crap, I'm pretty sure I looked like crap, but that doesn't mean I needed to act like crap.

I don't really remember anything significant up until basically that second week. By that time I was finally able to stay awake long enough to hold a conversation so I didn't feel 100% useless. Although Donnie probably wished that I was still sleeping 24/7 because I spent a lot of my waking hour getting after him for killing himself off while trying to keep Sensei and me alive. His mask couldn't quite hide the dark bags under his eyes or the way he drooped over basically everything. As if I didn't have enough guilt about being stuck in bed as it was.

But we did start to have some more pleasant conversations too. I told him about the last time I was holed up in bed like this to help calm whatever seemed to be keeping him up at night over my condition. I never really considered the flip side to the fact that he and his brothers were so much faster at healing, that they'd grown up all being able to bounce back from injuries pretty quickly so being faced with a normal human with normal healing rates was terrifying for him. For me it was no problem, this was status quo compared to most of my major injuries incurred during my previous lifetime. And I even managed to get Donnie to rest his head on my lap and take a little nap with me. I felt pretty proud of myself for that.

During that third week Donatello was vigilant about making sure that Sensei and I took iron supplements, a tip he'd gleaned from my storytelling apparently. I couldn't really tell that much of a difference but Donnie was convinced that they helped a lot. I was still stuck in bed, so my usefulness didn't really improve at all. I guess I was able to stay awake longer. Mikey was able to entertain longer before I fell asleep on him but that also could have been due to the amount of time that had passed. Either way now that Donatello was convinced those little iron tablets became his new little thing to obsess over. I didn't really like seeing him so distressed over our slow recovery but I really was healing as fast as I could. I did everything that he asked me to, tried to eat the things he kept offering but it wasn't until the end of that third week I could really stomach them. I did try though. Poor thing was wearing himself ragged trying to fix us and it wasn't like Leonardo was really helping his nerves any.

It was a little frustrating to see Leonardo so unhappy all the time. It wasn't unexpected, per say, since all of the incarnations of Leonardos that I'd seen could be prone to moodiness if they weren't as perfect as they thought they should be. And after the way everything had gone during the battle... and really actually the few weeks prior to the battle where I'd kindof started to take over the show and call some of the shots... I could understand his frustration with everything including himself. But that didn't make it any less difficult to observe. If anything it only made it more difficult. Because if history was anything to go by... that could only mean one outcome.

Leo was going to be sent away for some amount of time. 2003 did it. 2007 did it. IDW did it, though to be fair that was more-so because he was captured and turned evil by Kitsune Magic. The only version of turtles that I was familiar with that hadn't sent Leo away for some kind of spiritual journey was the 2012 version but since that show was highly emphasizing the teenage part of teenage mutant ninja turtles that wasn't all too surprising. These boys were more grown up. More like the 2003 and 2007 turtles. And if Leo was getting unbearably moody and short tempered then that could only mean his journey was soon coming.

And I knew what I had to do.

There wasn't any question about it. Not in my mind. Leo was going to be sent away, and I needed to go with him. This version of Splinter wouldn't have any 'Ancient One' characters to send Leonardo to, which hinted towards more of a 2007-type 'go and find yourself all alone in the wilderness' adventure and with as well as that went in that movie I could only imagine what sending this Leonardo out on his own would do. I may not have felt very physically able to keep up with a trek to South America at the time I recognized that I'd be going along with him sometime in that third week. But knowing pretty early on that it was coming did give me that little extra boost of motivation I needed to get my butt out of bed and get onto my feet.

And also to stop wasting my time with Donatello.

Time was once again a precious commodity, but unlike last time there was no imminent doom or destruction hanging over my head like a blade on a string to keep me in line. Keep my mouth shut. Keep Donnie waiting like the incredibly patient man that he was. But with his sole focus on recovery getting him to sidetrack was not an easy task. And just like a poker player I had to play my cards just right if I was going to get anywhere with him before Leo snapped and got sent away for his spiritual trip to who knows where in this universe.

The idea was simple: slow and steady wins the race. That third week was slow and steady with lingering touches, unnecessary hand holding, and working around my damn side to make some small amount of cuddling happen. Mostly that meant coercing Don, who really didn't mind once he'd been extraordinarily careful to not disturb my injury, to lay his head on my lap so I could rub his neck and shoulders while we talked. He liked the contact and once it started to become a regular thing it was easier to get him to doze off after a few dozen minutes of casual conversation. I didn't mind. My goal was reestablishing comfort with contact, and if he could sleep on my lap then I considered that a mission accomplished. I was just a little bit upset that I still wasn't quite healed enough to be able to bend down to kiss the top of his head during that third week.

By the end of week three though I didn't need to worry so much about it because Don's stress levels over my recovery were starting to diminish. Slightly. And with that came time to have a little chat about him really needing to get back to maintaining his own health too. Stern, but fair, I laid out my concerns over him and we talked it out. He did make some fair points about pressure from the brothers and inexperience with treating human injuries this extensive. But by the end of it we were both happy with his agreement to chill a little more and get back to a more regular schedule.

The moment was perfect. Happy resolution to a grown-up conversation, I tugged on his mask tails to drag him over to my face. He hesitated but only just for a moment and let me kiss him. He was such a blushy mess I couldn't keep it in and had to burst out laughing at his expression. And then drag him back in for another kiss, this one he actually reciprocated now that his brain had caught up with his mouth and had a minute to wrap around what was happening. Don't get me wrong, I adore Donatello, but for a genius and a ninja he can sometimes be surprisingly slow to process things and act on them. When he finally did, though, it was so nice to feel his lips on mine. Slow and tender, it seemed to say a dozen things that he otherwise couldn't say. I didn't try to keep him there too long but after the terrible scare of almost losing both his father and his almost maybe lover I didn't have to.

What started as a teasing retry drew him forward onto his knees, one hand reaching up to cup my jaw in a feather-light cradle that seemed to be more for his own benefit than mine. Controlled desperation slowly overtook the atmosphere of the tiny space between us, emotion anchoring his cool breath to my cheek. I couldn't quite wrap my head around just how he was able to put so much weight into those careful kisses, every press so slow and deliberate it was like he was planning every head turn and every touch. And I let him choose when he was ready to pull away so he could take all the time he needed to firmly grip onto the reality that we were both there, alive, lips touching, and that the danger of losing something he didn't know he already had was over.

And then right on queue Leonardo rolled in like a thunderstorm and barked something at Donatello about Sensei. Minimally functioning and pathetic as I might have been right then I chewed that boy out for his uncalled for attitude. He needed to know that he was being rude and hurtful by making him and everyone else in their home feel like he was the one in charge of how fast Sensei's body was able to heal when in reality he was only hurting his family with that attitude. Sensei and I would heal at the pace our bodies needed to take and no amount of his temper was going to help anything around here. He turned tail and peeled out pretty quickly after that looking even stormier than when he entered the living space, and I probably shouldn't have done it since ideally I would have liked to stall his personal crash and burn for as long as possible but I couldn't just let Donnie take his crap for no reason. He deserves better than that. And for what time we have here together before Leo's year of pulling his head out of his butt, I'm going to make sure he gets it.


	2. These Things Take Time

**Sorry this took a while, I took a little bit of time making sure I had the basic plotline for this story all mapped out so I could break it down into chapters and the basic chunks of story I wanted included in each chapter. If I manage to actually follow my map then the new developments to Donatello and Aaliyah's relationship will take through Chapter 5. Then Chapter 6 starts the Leo-centric journey! I have big plans for this children. *rubs hands together* I hope you all enjoy the sin that will be upcoming once Aaliyah heals up a little bit more! Love you all!**

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Week four started with a kiss and only went up from there. Casey came by pretty regularly in that third week and finally could see that being all cooped up and beaten down was really starting to wind up the tension. So he did what he could do and lent us the keys to Northampton. He himself couldn't stay because he had a couple big jobs here that needed some TLC first before he could come hang out with us. Donnie drove with his broken arm, something I was not overly happy about but Leo was being too stubborn and surly to drive safely and I was still just not quite strong enough just yet. Sensei talked for a little while about how it would help to heal our spirits to go commune with nature and learn from its peaceful energy but everyone knew that really there was only one spirit he was truly concerned about healing and that was the spirit who had taken the most personal damage.

Leo, on the other hand, had other plans. He was determined to start training again despite Splinter's wishes now that he was mostly healed, taking two of the brothers with him to 'whip them back into shape' all over the woods and the empty countryside. I really did feel bad for Mikey especially since his shell still needed a little more time to be fully healed and Leo was running them ragged after a month off. But having the farmhouse empty save for Sensei who was content in front of the television with his soap operas did have its perks. And Mikey got showers of cheek kisses for his efforts in keeping Leo out and giving Donnie and I some more time together alone.

Specifically the time alone that we needed for me to finally suck it up and talk to him about that thing I'd been avoiding saying for months. Part of me wanted to just gloss over it and move forward but the more honest and romantic half that said he needed to know that he wasn't the only one who'd been miserable for a while eventually won out.

"Dee?"

"Hm?" He mumbled from my lap, bleary eyes peeking open to peer up at me from where we were resting together out on the porch with the door open so we could listen for Splinter in case he needed any help with anything. I sucked in a deep breath, steeling my nerves for what was going to fall out of my mouth. So much avoidance was making it easy to chicken out, but Donnie didn't have time for me to weasel my way out of talking about it any longer. I'd already put it off for a month under the excuse that I didn't want to fall asleep mid-sentence before I could say all I'd wanted to say. So now was the time to go big or go home.

"I'm sorry. For stringing you along for so long." His eyes opened more fully and he sat up with his head cocked to the side. "But I want you to understand why I did it. I didn't like it, but if I could go back and do it again I wouldn't change anything."

He let me pause, eye ridges only furrowing to show he didn't quite yet get where I was going but that he would wait to find out. "You… You don't have to apologize. It… Like you said, it wasn't the right time."

"But I couldn't tell you Why it wasn't the right time. And that wasn't fair of me. So I want to tell you now. I've liked you for a really long time. Even before we'd met and I would watch the different TMNT shows and movies your character was always my favorite. I don't know if you remember but when I first got here I probably looked really stupid with how hard I was trying to impress you. But pretty soon I realized something.

You are arguably the one brother who holds this family together and makes everything work. The team doesn't work if you all aren't together but I've seen and I know what happens to your universes if you aren't around to do everything that you do for this family. You are, in a way, a lynchpin for this universe. Without you nothing runs. Raphael doesn't have a level headed brother to bounce off of when he and Leo fight, Leo doesn't have your logic and more-or-less unbiased opinions to use as the foundation for his plans. Mikey doesn't have your patience around to absorb some of his energy and the basic functions of the lair that everyone relies on to survive fall into disrepair.

Don't get me wrong, I've seen what happens when Leo disappears and I've seen what happens when Mikey disappears and I can only imagine what happens in Raph were to disappear. None of you can be without the other three but you especially hold this family together in ways that maybe you don't even recognize. And if I kept trying to impress you, kept trying to win you… Then I'd take away your time and your focus and your energy that you put into the lair and your family. And since we were really on a time crunch I couldn't do that to the family. I couldn't possibly make things worse by breaking the family up because I love all of you so much. It would be different if I'd fallen for one of the other brothers instead. Leo could just mess with the amount of time he spends meditating in order to be together, Mikey could cut out some of his gaming and TV time, and Raph could just switch from working out every day for hours to working out every other day or shortening up his workouts a bit. But you don't have the luxury of just not working on your projects and building all of the incredible things that make your lives as ninjas in New York where you're hunted possible."

I could see the questions building in his throat by the way he was leaning forward and his mouth was starting to open, indignity at the idea that I might break up the family by trying to be with him plainly written in his expression. So I quickly held up my hands and paused him, needing to get the rest of it out before he could have a turn.

"Waitwaitwait, just… Just hear me out. Because I wanted so badly to talk to you about it. I wanted to think that we could sit down and have a rational discussion about why I couldn't let that happen and how you needed to still be focused on your work. But the more I thought about it the more I couldn't help but realize that doing that would only make things even worse. Because then you'd know for sure that I liked you and that the only thing that was standing in the way was your obligations. So then the logical solution would be to rearrange your schedule, hurry through your projects, skip training a couple times, these little things that don't seem like they'd be a big deal but we had The Battle with Shredder coming! How could I let you do those things when that battle was coming? I watched you die. If I didn't make this work you'd die and your brothers would die and that would be the end.

I didn't like it. I hated it. Your brothers hated it, and yes they did know about it because I needed them to be on my side through this but please don't be mad at them for keeping their promise to me that they wouldn't tell. Raph especially did literally everything he could think of to try to talk me out of keeping it a secret and stalling because he hated it the most. Which is ironic because he hated it the most right at first for completely different reasons… But anyways... He almost convinced me couple of times but it was either let him talk me into breaking down and telling you or risk killing the whole family. Even if we were careful and lucky it just was not a risk I could take because I love you all so much. I hated putting you off and stalling and having to turn you down but I just couldn't risk it. That was more than I could dare chance. And even if the percent chance that you making those changes so we could make it work sooner was a small percent chance it was a chance that not only you and your family would die but then this whole world and this whole universe would fall into chaos and ruin and evil.

On the other hand, if we buckled down and stayed focused and got through this then the worst of it would be over. I wouldn't have to make you wait any longer. We could… Try a relationship. But that wasn't going to be a possibility, not a long-term one, if we didn't live beyond the battle with Shredder. And I'm sorry that it sucked and I'm so sorry I had to tell you no, shut you down, but given my options at the time I wouldn't change it even if I had the choice to go back and do it again. It's still not a risk I would ever take. I could not and would not risk the lives and safety of your family or this world for anything, but especially not a couple of extra weeks of gratification. And I hope you can forgive me for that."

Donatello's face had gone through several strong emotions while I got through my monologue. Indignation, shock, concern, anger, disbelief, hurt, but by the end of it he'd settled into a more passive look of dawning comprehension. Not necessarily a happy understanding, but he looked like he could grasp the struggle that I'd been going through. And that was all that I was hoping for. As long as he could understand why I'd done what I did, I would be satisfied. He didn't have to like it, he didn't have to agree with it, but at least he got it.

His expression turned thoughtful while he rolled all of it around in his head, finally feeling like he was in a place where he could have a turn. "So now… That the Shredder is dead… Now is a better time? For… A… an us? Now that the predicted future of our deaths has been changed?" I nodded my head and he swallowed noisily, looking around with some lingering uncertainty. "And… Is that… Something you're interested – still interested – in? With me? A turtle? Who lives in the sewers and can't give you back all of the things you had in your life before you got brought here? I mean now that you're healing and the future is changed you could… You could go back to school and get your teaching degree again. You could get a job and a life and find… Find someone."

Someone human was what he'd clearly meant to say but trying to verbalized his internalized insecurities was hard enough for him that he all but choked on that last word as it was. I held out my hand and he took it quickly. Pulling his hand to my cheek I couched my head against the cool and calloused skin, tucking my chin to kiss his wrist.

"I feel bad because I'm not contributing to the family. I'm free loading, basically, and that's not right of me. I'll need to find work once I'm healed so I can help support the family but I have no interest in finding anyone else. Anyone human up there on the surface, specifically. I want you, if you'll have me."

Donatello laughed at that, shaking his head in disbelief. "If I'll have You? Are you serious? I've spent so many days trying to figure out what I could do, what I could say, to try to figure out if I even had a chance with you. You're so incredibly kind and talented, passionate, caring, intuitive, you know what's going to happen before it happens and you use that information to help us rather than for your own personal gain. You're selfless and compassionate and empathetic and you work so hard for us. And I just wanted so badly to tell you for so long that I think you're incredible and that… That I love you. I love you and I'd go to the ends of the earth to keep you safe and make you happy if I could. I'd do anything for you if you asked me to."

Donnie was sweet, if not a little bit cheesy. He'd apparently watched one too many chic flicks while trying to come up with what he wanted to say. And even though a giggle at just how ridiculously naïve and adorable he sounded was clawing its way up my throat I swallowed it back down and kissed his wrist again. "Love is hard, Donnie. It takes work and time and a lot of effort from both people if it's going to be real and lasting. But I appreciate you telling me that. I'm really glad that I lived long enough to hear it."

That sounded a lot better than 'silly boy, you don't know what love is just yet' and a lot less condescending but I can't say that I wasn't thinking it. Your first crush is a very different feeling than lasting love and I was pretty sure he was in the crush and infatuation stage. It's a powerful cocktail of chemicals swimming around in your brain when you find new love but even looking at it from a scientific standpoint it's a very different combination than what you feel after years of being together through hard time and good times and everything in between. Loss and pain and heartache and windfalls and disagreements and all of the parts and pieces that change the infatuation into an ocean of emotion that has depth of feeling and sympathy that I know for myself would have been impossible to comprehend before I'd made it there. And as cute as his declaration of love was, it was still tempered just a little bit by the fact that this was his first relationship. Almost relationship. I guess we hadn't quite made anything official just yet.

"Miss Aaliyah is correct, my son." We both jumped at the voice from inside, across the room. We'd both thought Sensei was totally absorbed in his show but I guess we should have known better. And I probably should have known better than to jump because my still-healing side was not happy with that scare. "Love comes with a great many challenges. And a great responsibility to think first of the needs of those you love and put your own desires last. Without respect and a willingness to share everything totally with one another any relationship, no matter the nature of the people involved, it will be doomed to failure."

Donatello blushed a deep forest green at Sensei's interruption, but I actually was happy he'd heard the conversation. I put my arms up for Don to pick me up and take me over to him, the two of us settling down on the couch nearby the aging rat. "Splinter, would you be alright with us pursuing a relationship? I wouldn't want to show you any disrespect since you have been so very generous in allowing me to live here for so long. Donatello is very precious to me and I'd be honored to have your blessing."

Splinter smiled warmly and nodded his head. "You have my blessing. This world is not kind to those who are different and for much of our lives it was more than I could hope that any of my sons might find friends who would treat them kindly and see them for more than the color of their skin and the shells on their backs. And then Miss April O'Neil and Mr. Jones entered our lives and the loss of our Hogosha was a deep wound we all still carry. The flicker of hope that April brought to us that perhaps we might one day escape the oppression of fear was so quickly snuffed out with the public outrage over the misunderstanding around her passing. For so long I thought that perhaps our only connection to the surface world might be Casey Jones and that there would be no other chances for my sons to find their way out of the city's wrath that they so desperately did not deserve. And then you came along my dear and now that glimmer of hope has been rekindled not only as a new connection to a world that we will never know but also by way of a love and acceptance that I could never have dreamed would find my sons. And if love has found my sons once then perhaps they might all be so lucky as to find a love that will stay with them for the rest of their lives. I simply maintain one request."

Donnie was quick to reply 'anything' but I have pa– had parents– too and I could already tell where this was going. "Don't worry Sensei, we'll be safe and I promise that we'll member that there are other people that live here too. Nothing inappropriate in public spaces, you have my word."

Splinter's eyes glittered with mischief and his whiskers twitched through his contained humor. "Thank you. While love may be a dream I wish for each of my sons, it is not a dream I wish to be realized for all to see. That which is to be shared intimately should remain as such."

Don blushed darkly and muttered something under his breath, making me laugh. "Hey, if you're too embarrassed to talk about it then you're probably too young to be doing it. That's what my mom always told me."

He squeaked out something that, once again, was unintelligible but the basic gist of it had to do with his father's presence. I opened my mouth to get after him for being such a mess but never got the chance. Mikey came bursting in the door with Raphael hot on his tail, both of them soaking wet. A few moments later Leonardo dragged Mikey back out the front door by one foot, muttering testily about him trying to get out of training. Mikey only whimpered pathetically, "Donnieeeeeeee help meeeeeeeee!" Leo eyed Donatello on his way out as if daring him to try to interfere, while Don simply waved his cast at his older brother, and Raphael shut the door on the way out likewise muttering about their youngest brother. We looked at each other in confusion until Sensei broke the silence with a deep sigh of longsuffering and then I broke down laughing. Donnie joined in soon after, and even Sensei grinned and shook his head at his sons.

Once the laughing died down, though, he had only one more thing to say. "Donatello. Your arm will soon be fully healed. And Leonardo knows this. You must exercise patience and caution so that you do not injure yourself further, however you may consider wisely using what time you have left to heal."

I gave Donnie a sly side-look that returned his mortification tenfold but managed to keep from breaking down from debilitating shame this time. He only cleared his throat and adjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose.

"Hai… Sensei. Um… Aaliyah would you want to uh… Help me with something out in the barn?"

A Cheshire grin broke out across my face. Now even Splinter was trying to hook us up. It was nice to have support on all sides, especially if it embarrassed the heck out of Don. "Need some help with some _wiring_?" I added a tonal inflection to my voice that was subtle, hopefully subtle enough that it might slip mostly unnoticed by Sensei but at least get a rise out of Donnie. Master Splinter's whiskers twitched but otherwise his expression gave no outward indication of hearing anything unusual. Donnie, on the other hand, had a sudden small coughing fit much to my great amusement. Splinter turned to Donnie and lightly patted his shell.

"My son, are you alright? Is there something causing you distress?" I couldn't help but snort at that. Just as I had done, there was just something slightly off about the way he'd made that statement. A small lilt to his voice that would have been easy to miss but was definitely there. While Don worked to regain his composure I couldn't help but notice the way Splinter caught my eye and his tail twitched with contained humor, a sentiment I returned with a wink and a twitch at the corner of my mouth.

"Maybe you should go lay down, sweetie?"

"I'm fine." He wheezed, glaring at me with a 'you stop it right now' look that had me batting my eyelashes at him innocently. He deadpanned in return and shook his head as he got to his feet. "Do you need me to carry you?"

"Naw I'm good." I responded quickly. Lies, really, but I'd been the biggest couch bum for over a month and I wanted to try to get back on my feet. I didn't need the pointed look and the sassy placement of his hands on his hips at me for me to know that I probably needed to add an addendum to that statement. "Kind of, anyways. Lemme see how far I can get and then we'll take it from there. I probably can't make it the whole way but I want to try. Sound good?"

He hesitated for a moment and then nodded. "Yeah, that sounds ok. But don't push yourself once you begin to feel discomfort. Aggravating your scar tissue will only serve to lengthen your recovery period."

"I'll Have to start doing things that make me feel 'discomfort' if I'm going to ever get better, Dee. It's like working out. You gotta feel the burn if you are really going to get anything out of it, right?" I commented as I carefully rolled to my side to start the process of getting to my feet. You really never quite appreciate just how much you use your core muscles for literally everything until you can't use them anymore. Even doing something like stretching my toes sometimes would tug just a little on those healing muscles. Rolling over: ouch. Sitting up: OUCH. Scooting to the edge of the couch: Ouch. Standing up: OOOUUUUCH.

And then, even better, once I was finally up I was hit by a huge wave of dizziness that made me waver and sway on my feet enough that Don immediately put his arms around me to keep me from falling over. My brain wanted to shoo him away but that didn't stop my arms from clinging to him pathetically. By the way: ouch.

"Would you like to be carried now?" His voice was both worried and soothing, I assumed much like his expression probably was but my vision was swimming so I couldn't really tell. The stubborn bull in me wasn't done yet though, so once I wasn't so dizzy I felt cross-eyed I started moving again.

"Nope. Nope I'm good. Just a little vertigo, I'm good." He backed up but didn't let go of my forearms, taking small baby steps backwards to match my snail's pace that my broken body had to set in order to keep up with my will to stop being so… So incapable. And my body made it all of about six steps before it said NOPE. The dizziness returned and I tripped forward into Donatello, hissing at the stab of pain that lanced through my whole body at being jarred. Six steps. Yay. Look at me go.

Panting like I was just finishing a marathon, beads of sweat forming on my brow, I refused to give voice to the whimper in the back of my throat. No need to add insult to injury, I was already shaking a little bit as it was. "Ok. Ok NOW, now I think I'm done. Too dizzy."

He leaned over, chin tucking into the crook of my neck, and easily lifted me into the air. It wasn't right, just how damn strong he and his brothers were. It wasn't hard to remember that despite his nerdiness he was still a ninja who could easily hold his own in any fight when he had his muscles supporting my weight like I was nothing more than five pounds of feathers. He whispered encouragements into my ear while he walked with me outside and across the yard, and only stopped once we were in the barn with the creaky door open just a crack. I knew he was trying to make me feel better for being so weak after everything, so I did my best to take all of the things he was saying to heart. But I gotta admit that it still kind of made me feel like he was talking down to me. So help me if he patted my head I was going to flip something.

Lucky for him he did no such thing. Only just deposited me carefully onto the desk he'd converted into a workbench a while ago that now was littered with automotive parts. It was a subtle reminder that while my time here with Donnie might be brief that was no excuse to let him completely neglect his responsibilities and duties to the family. A couple of the parts hadn't been touched since the day we got here. That didn't seem to deter him from sweeping a few of them unceremoniously off to one side, thankfully not enough to have anything clatter to the dirt floor but enough to make a space for me to rest.

"How are you feeling? You didn't over exert yourself did you?"

I shrugged my shoulders in response and looked away from the probing gaze that was leaning forward to pour into my soul, or at least that's what it felt like. Trying to see past the bravado and the stubbornness to make sure I hadn't really hurt myself. And that was not a look I could hold. "Nah, just weak and infirm. And in need of some serious physical therapy. You know how much I usually take my poor little flabs for granted? I had no idea."

My casual dismissal earned me a snort and a cock of his head. "Excuse me, 'flabs'? I'm 99.867% sure that is not a word you found in a dictionary."

"Nope," I returned cheekily, "it's one of those combo words that you smoosh together to make a new word."

"Portmanteau." He supplied automatically.

"…. Really?"

"Yep. Linguistics is difficult because there are always new ways to describe events and phenomena but not always the words necessary to express them. Another common descriptor would be a 'blend phrase' but the distinction between a blend phrase and a portmanteau is a fuzzy line to draw."

My jaw shifted off to one side in thought as I huffed out a short 'huh' in response, then shook my head to get back on track. "Anyways, flabs. Flabby abs. Just like a cute … Portmanteau… That I saw one time for plastron abs was 'plabs.'"

He blinked in confusion and then looked down between us. "You mean the abdominal scutes of my plastron?"

I nodded and put my hands on them, grinning at the solid bony feel of them beneath my fingers. "Yep. They've formed in a way that makes them look like abs. Therefore: plabs. Unlike my flabs, which could easily be mistaken for a blob fish."

His expression turned troubled and he moved like he was going to return the gesture and place a hand on my stomach but changed his mind and rested it on my forearm instead. I couldn't tell if that was due to his worry that it might hurt or if he just lost his nerve, though, and that bothered me just a little. "Don't say that. You're perfect."

His eyes bugged out just a little at having just heard himself say that out loud, but I cut in before he could try to correct himself. "Perfectly out of shape, you mean."

"Wh-what I mea- no! That's not- you're hurt!" He tried to recover from first attempting to smooth out his candidness and then correct what he felt like was a deep injustice. Now he was just getting flustered and upset, a small part of my heart taking a little bit of pleasure in making him sweat like this.

"Don."

"You're mortally wounded and you haven't eaten anything substantial in a month! You're only three days in to finally being able to consume small amounts of solid foods! How can you possibly call yourself flabby when you're skin and bones!?"

The small flicker of sadistic joy evaporated as his more playful skittering around to recover turned serious, real worry and emotional pain taking over his features. Not cool, Aaliyah, not cool. "Don…"

"I'm honestly shocked, Aaliyah, that with as minimal as your state is that you can even stand up on your own! The last time I weighed you your body had reduced down to 102.3 pounds! That's a 27.137% reduction in body mass! How… How can you possibly call yourself flabby? You aren't able to walk on your own because there's nothing left to support you! If it was physically possibly for me to choose between this or 'flabby' I would have no hesitation about choosing excess body fat because then at least you could be healthy." I hadn't really thought about how awful seeing both Sensei and I reduced to skins stretched over skeletons must be for him as the family doctor, and felt a twinge of guilt over teasing him.

"Don!"

"What!?"

"I'm sorry!"

"Why!?"

"Because I don't like seeing you hurting!" Quite honestly getting riled up was starting to make me dizzy but with how wound up Donatello was getting I wasn't about to slam the breaks on this conversation. Especially not with how he suddenly looked like he'd been doused with ice water. He stiffened and he sputtered for a second before lurching forward and taking my shoulders in his hands. He wasn't rough by any means but it was a firm grip. He might have been the most slender of the brothers but he was easily far stronger than most grown men.

"The hell are you talking about? I'm the one who's hurting you! I'm supposed to be fixing you and I can barely do that! It's been over a month… And you're not making many improvements. I'm not a doctor, Aaliyah, I'm an engineer. A mechanic. I take trash and put it together until it works. I'm the one who needs to apologize, nothing that I've tried seems to be improving your state like it should. I don't know what I'm doing wrong and I'm sorry that I've failed you."

As his short monologue carried on his shoulders drooped and the irritated fire that had been winding him out now fizzled away, leaving him looking drained and defeated. The grip he had on my shoulders slackened and his three huge, calloused fingers trailed down until he could lightly pinch my hand between his thumbs and forefingers, eyes dropping to look over the delicate structure with muted interest.

"Don." Cutting through the heavy silence with a word and a squeeze to his hands wasn't enough to drag his eyes back up, but tugging those hands into resting on my waist was. And I didn't move forward until his wide, owlish, glittering golden eyes finally caught up to mine. "I'm not a mutant. I'm just flat going to take more time to heal. That's not something any tricks or solid food or heating pads or dim lights or exactly 65.8 degree air or humidifiers or electrolytes or anything else that you've tried is going to change. Honestly I'm about par for how long it took to heal the last time anything super major happened to my body. I just take a little longer to heal, and that's ok. You're the best doctor I could ask for, mechanic or not, and I'm healing up perfectly thanks to you. You're amazing, and you need to know that."

Unfortunately the fact that I **was** taking longer to heal meant that when I laced my fingers behind his head and yanked to pull him down closer, not only did that have zero effect on him but it also sent a jolt of pain through my side. Damn abdominal muscles, why do they have to be used for literally every stupidly unrelated action? I grimaced and grunted, which as you can imagine had _exactly_ the desired effect I was going for to sweep Donatello off his feet with romance.

Not.

"Aaliyah! Are you ok?" The hands at my hips jumped away, as did the rest of him, jerking himself free of my grip and sending another spasm of knives twisting through my torso when my threaded fingers snagged around his neck. Sucking in a hiss I shook my left hand at him and shooed away his concern through gritted teeth.

"Fine, fine. 'm good. I'm good. Just gimme a sec."

"Let me take a look at it."

"I'm fine, Don, I promise, I just need - a minute - to catch my breath - and I'll be fine."

"Lee, please, I need to make sure you haven't torn anything internally!" His hands started to weave insistently through my vague swatting and catch at my wrists to keep them still. And then he waited. Cool thumbs rubbed soothing spirals over my palms while I spent a couple of minutes swearing silently and doing my best to just breathe through the throbbing in my side. The pain was hot but definitely more of a dull ache than a stab by the time my breathing had settled down enough I could crack my eyes open. His expression was doubly worried and it seemed like I wasn't going to get out of another exam today by the way he seemed to be waiting on pins and needles.

Great. "Ok Doctor Donnie, go ahead. I'm not dying anymore." He vanished for a minute to sprint back to the house for his doctor bag and was back a few moments later with his freezing stethoscope he'd pieced together from three different broken ones, giving it his signature touch so that it definitely looked like a hodgepodge of parts but worked beautifully. He carefully lifted the hem of my shirt just enough to take a look at the scarring and touch the end of the listening piece to my skin. Higher, lower, middle, left, right, back to the middle again, all with his head turned just a bit to the side and his eyes closed for better concentration.

Whether or not he heard anything was a matter of a mystery because he simply asked that I lay back and assisted in placing me on the bench between the oil pan of the van and several other parts and pieces I only partially recognized. One of them vaguely looked like an alternator and another looked like it might be one of the pistons but I couldn't be quite sure with the quick glance I got before I was staring at the barn ceiling. Fingers pressed delicately into my side while the stethoscope listened nearby, both shifting here and there until Donatello was satisfied that all was in working order. There was no need for him to ask me if his poking and prodding hurt. We came to a pretty clear understanding weeks ago that he only needed to check my expression and if I made a face then that was his queue to maybe ask further questions. And since nothing he did made me grimace then he was clear to move forward quickly and less than a minute later I was back to sitting upright.

The pain had subsided so I grinned up at him and reached out to hook my fingers on his suspenders and pull him forward just a bit more... Just more carefully this time. "See? Right as rain. I'm just fine, nothing broken. Now if you'll excuse me I'd like to get back to using my feminine charm to seduce you like I was trying to do before I embarrassed myself into needing a checkup."

The bashful way he squeaked and blushed himself nearly black was almost worth pulling something, the long slow kisses I earned for it definitely so. Donnie was a great kisser once he chilled out a little bit and managed to get over the apparently mind-numbing action of touching his lips to mine. Attentive, considerate, curious, mesmerized, slightly panicked, kissing him left me breathless. And the adorable way he touched his forehead to mine and whispered everything that was in his heart was enough to steal what little breath I had left. Donnie had always been loyal and caring, but hearing him swear his undying fidelity was still very new.

It was a loyalty that would be tested the very next day. There was the sound of a crash like a huge explosion out in the woods and Mikey's high-pitched screech pierced the calm evening air, making all of us who were sitting outside on the porch jump. I started trying to get up but Donnie put a hand on my shoulder and gave me a pointed look. "Stay here. Mike's probably just messing around with Leo again."

"It didn't sound like he was messing around. I know that scream. This one was different." I tried arguing but Donnie wouldn't hear any of it. "And what about the boom?" Raphael looked nervous as he leapt to his feet after Don and headed inside for his gear.

"Sensei, keep an eye on her. I'll be back. Stay put, please." He rushed upstairs quickly and all I could hear were his footsteps moving quickly and heavily from upstairs. Then they were back down, geared up, and all but running out the door.

"Your arm is still broken! I'm coming with you!" I contended hotly against the stern look that was shot over Donatello's shoulder as he started crossing the lawn.

"Aaliyah you can't even walk! Stay Here!"

He and Raphael quickly disappeared into the tree line and I whipped around to look at Splinter incredulously. "He just left! He told me to stay and just left!"

Splinter looked worried but didn't react to my indignation. He simply watched as Donnie and Raph took off at a sprint towards a plume of smoke. "My child, I know that it is difficult to sit by and wait while my sons place themselves in harm's way but you must heed Donatello's words. If you were to fight to travel out to where they are you would only be placing one additional burden on their shoulders when they will be burdened enough with their own injuries. You must let your body rest and allow my sons to take care of this on their own."

While I couldn't argue with the logic there, the fact that right now I was once again just a burden left a much deeper sting in my heart than the red splotch left on my forehead from where I thumped my forehead repeatedly for a while on the coffee table in front of us in frustration at both myself and Sensei. But mostly at the situation.

And then the chiming of a T-cell came floating down from upstairs.

There was a slight flash of panic that doused my insides with ice. I still couldn't walk. I couldn't get to the T cell. I was sunk. If they were in trouble then there was no way I could help them now.

That icy flash was answered by a roar of indignation and offense that I would actually consider just sitting on my butt when clearly the lack of ability hadn't stopped me yet. Who was the girl that helped Sensei and Casey infiltrate Bishop's Lair? Who was the girl that had disabled THE SHREDDER with an E.M.P.? And I was just going to roll over for a set of stairs? Like heck I was! So with a mighty harrumph, I started off.

First I walked. Seven steps, then a break. Seven more, break again. Eight beyond that finally got me to the bottom of the stairs and I was already winded. Crawling up those damn stairs took longer than I would have liked but getting too dizzy to stay upright was a little more dangerous when you were no longer on flat ground and your personal doctor would probably have a hemorrhage knowing you were up there on your own without supervision. Not that I needed supervision. Pfff.

Another break at the top of the stairs and one more once I'd crawled to the thankfully nearby nightstand so that when I called back I didn't sound as dead as I felt. Then leaning against the wall I hit the redial and waited to see what the last 10 minutes had been needed for.

"Aaliyah, what the shell are you doing? Did you hurt yourself trying to call us back? Where are you?"

I should have figured that Don would have remembered the phone and I were not in the same room together and freaked out. "Hello to you too and gee you sure are welcome. Naw it was no trouble at all, I'm always happy to call you back. Knowing you guys it means trouble so it's kindof a moral obligation at this point. Awwwwww well I worry about you guys too. Now that we got that out of the way, what's up?"

Donatello sighed deeply on the other end and I could almost see him kneading his temples. "I'm sorry, I remembered the other T cell was upstairs after I called and I was kindof hoping you'd leave it alone since you would have to figure out a way up without a spotter."

"It's fine, I know you worry. But that still doesn't answer my question. What's up?"

"We're not sure, to be perfectly honest. It appears that an alien spaceship of some kind has crash landed here in the woods a couple of miles north northeast from the farmhouse. We've extracted the unconscious extra terrestrial and laid it on the ground. I can't observe any kind of major injuries other than perhaps a concussion but without a baseline knowledge of what's normal and what's not... I have no idea. You wouldn't happen to know, by chance, who this is or why it's here?"

I hummed thoughtfully for a second, ticking off the list of facts to see where this sounded familiar. Farmhouse, boys, alien. "Are you guys by a large body of water?"

After a beat of silence Don replied "Um... not particularly? There's a sizeable pond approximately 40 yards to our southwest that's being fed by a river but nothing particularly large. Why?"

"Does the alien have blue skin?"

"Yes."

"Long hair or short hair?"

"Long"

"Any kind of fancy ornamentation that might look like gold or bronze? Necklaces or a crown or bracelets?"

"...nnnno"

"Ok. That one is Jhanna. There will be another alien from the same Omatran race coming here in a little bit. I'm not sure in this universe if Moriah is going to be following Jhanna or if she'll need to be signaled. But Jhanna is a good guy. Confused, but good. She'll attack you but it's just because she thinks you're with Moriah. Help her out as much as you can, Moriah is going to be bringing some intergalactic goonies with her to fight Jhanna for her. One of them melts in water, another one can be exploded with his own explosives, and I've got nothing for the third one. 2003 Donnie gave it a lesson in aerodynamics and crashed it to the ground because it was basically a pteradactyl but I don't know what the aliens will look like this time around. Just remember that the impossible one melts in water."

"Great!" Donnie's tone sounded far perkier than when he'd called, but a slimy thought was still twisting around in my gut. One that needed to be voiced.

"Don?"

"Yes?"

"… In canon... um... You and Jhanna..."

"Don't worry, I'll be careful."

"No, Donatello, you and Jhanna hook up."

There was an unidentifiable noise on the other line and if it wasn't for the knots my insides were tying I would have loved to see whatever expression was etched onto his features. "It's ok... I mean... She leaves in the morning so it's not like a big... deal... or anything. I just... I wanted to say that... uh... I know. And if you do in this universe too then I won't... I won't freak out or anything. It's canon. And I want you to be happy."

"Aaliyah. Please, don't-"

"I mean it Don. Jhanna is incredible. You're really going to like her. Now I don't want to hear anything more about it right now because you need to think about it. I just wanted to let you know that I know it's coming and I'm ok with it. Now I'm going to hang up the phone so you can get the chance to talk to everybody about Moriah before Jhanna wakes up. Ok?"

"Aaliyah I don't want Jhanna, I want **you**!" He paused and then choked and immediately backtracked a little bit. "N-not that I'm insinuating that We should hook up of course! I just meant that if I was given the option- If you offered! **NOT** – gah – **not** that I'm _suggesting_ you Should offer, you're still healing, and... um... I'm gonna... yep. Hanging up now."

"Donatello, I love you. But I do mean what I said about Jhanna. Just think about it, ok? And be safe. I'll see you all tomorrow."

"Yeah... see you tomorrow."

* * *

 **;) I told you all there would be developments to their relationship**


	3. Revelations Reprise

**MWAHAHAHA! Oh I loved getting angry reviews for the cliffhanger I left you guys on at the end of the last chapter. ;) Shhhhhh, I'll make it all better, I promise... maybe... kindof. ^-^ Thanks for the feedback, seriously, your reactions feed me and give me 235% more motivation to hurry it up and get the next chapter posted! You are all so amazing, and to those of you who have stuck with this story from the very beginning I am head over heels for you guys. 3 love you guys, hope you enjoy the fluff while it lasts ;)**

 ***softly cackles off in the distance***

* * *

They say that hindsight is 20/20. And in hindsight I could possibly have taken the phone conversation a little better than I did. And the next 4 hours and 37 minutes after that. However, it can be difficult to redirect activity density from the Limbic System to the Neocortex, specifically the Dorsolateral Prefrontal cortex and/or the Lateral Orbitalfrontal Cortex when there is so much activity happening in the Limbic System that emotion completely takes over.

This would explain why 4.6167 hours later I was back at the farmhouse carrying a very confused and sqawking Aaliyah out to the barn in her pajamas while my brothers were several miles away with a victorious alien female life form and her defeated adversary who had been placed into stasis. It was at this point that I found myself fighting to redirect that brain activity towards the more logical portions of my mind to answer her questions in a way that made sense but couldn't. All I could do was walk until I'd shut & locked the barn door behind us and placed Aaliyah on a wooden stool. Her barrage of questions only increased and I started to feel like I was being battered by them. Pressure started to build in my chest and finally at the question of 'so why are you here? It's not canon for you to leave them with Jhanna!' it burst with a loud and angry "I DON'T KNOW!"

Her teeth clicked together and she quailed at the shout, pinching my heart with guilt but it was better than my apparent inability to mentally string a coherent sentence together. "I don't know! Ok? I just had to talk to you and it couldn't wait until morning! First it was you practically starving yourself because you were so afraid that something like a damn slice of pizza would set off a butterfly effect and destroy the world, then it was all of the stories because you said you couldn't be as good as April! After that it was Shunning me because it wasn't the right time yet and then you Attack the Shredder, nearly die, then go RUNNING off to a pack of humanoid amphibians in the river because THAT WAS canon even though you could Barely walk, nearly caused yourself internal bleeding again, and NOW you're- you TELL ME to sleep with an extraterrestrial because it was IMPLIED in canon? After you JUST- we just? I thought we were attempting to start a relationship and I don't understand!"

Nervous energy started to boil in my bones and it seemed that pacing was the only way to safely spend it, given that I didn't really have the capability in the near-pitch black of night to work on anything instead. These were all issues that I'd been meaning to address eventually once I could find an appropriate way to formulate my prediction as to what these behaviors seemed to indicate but now with so much having built up it seemed tact was not going to be my strong suit this evening. I could only hope that she was following my train of thought because it seemed to have a destination of its own and I wasn't exactly sure how fast it was going to try to get there.

"If infidelity is normal and acceptable on your planet, your dimension, then that might explain why you would even suggest it but so far as I've been able to imply based on your descriptions that you've given during the past months that you've been with us I can't come to that conclusion. Which leaves me with only two other possible explanations and neither of them are preferable or positive.

Explanation number one is that because we have not entered into an official, exclusive relationship yet you feel some kind of need that is twistedly protective of my freedom as a single individual and therefore have been pushing me to exercise a freedom to act in a way that is arguably stereotypical and personally distasteful. And I'm hoping that if this is the case I can ease whatever urge you feel to allow me the freedom to act, excuse me for my language, like a fuckboy by telling you that I have absolutely zero desire to do any sowing of any wild oats and I- I want to be with you. If you're interested in m-"

I almost said 'me.' I almost tackled the heart of my insecurities head-on. I almost did what I probably should have done and told her just how much I wanted to be with her.

But I didn't. I finished with 'making headway towards attempting a relationship' or something like that. And then I waited. I was still wound up with emotional energy but my loud ranting had, I noticed at that moment, essentially dropped a stone wall between the two of us. Aaliyah's eyes were averted, chin tucked down and to the side in a classic show of submission to authority. Exactly the opposite of what I had been hoping to accomplish. But through Raphael's blunders and the seemingly effortless way she communicated with him I'd noticed that if he would just wait then she'd pull the walls down and let him in on her own. I'd hardly needed to put this information into practice as of yet but apparently my time was now.

I started by waiting while watching her, but the tuck of her chin and trend towards shying away further was clear enough indication that I wasn't quite doing it right. So I mirrored her pose, a tip I'd seen online as part of a psychology blog post, likewise hunching and tucking just enough to make myself look less imposing (a posture that I'd become a natural at with Raphael and Leonardo butting heads as often as they did) and turned to the side. It's amazing just how much mental math and psychoanalysis you can accomplish while you're standing silently in a dark barn waiting for an undetermined space of time for what could possibly one of the hardest rejections of my life.

But it worked at long last, Aaliyah's posture straightened up and she took a few deep breaths, tempting me to look over, tempting me to move closer, to drop to my knees, take her hand-

"Donnie, I'm not supposed to be here. I change things. I mess with things. The future, the past, the course of fate, destiny, I screw up everything that was ever written for you. There are some parts of that I'm very happy about. I'm hoping more than anything that this isn't the universe where SAINW happens and I won't let that future happen no matter what. So far that outcome looks promising. But what if I change the good things that are supposed to happen too? Then I mess up the person you were supposed to become. What if I can't fix that? How am I supposed to know how to help you if I make you change into something else I've never seen before? I'm here because I've seen what's supposed to happen and I can help you meet it head on. But if I change who you become because of the experiences you have then... then what?"

This had been my feared option two. That she didn't feel like she belonged here. She wasn't supposed to be here. She didn't belong in my world. It was ridiculous and absurd given the fact that she had literally been brought here against her will with the express purpose of changing the fate that this world had given us... and now she was afraid of too much change? However... that wasn't the reason exactly I was so nervous about this being the source of her ridiculous and honestly unacceptable behavior. Because to solve it I was going to have to take that step off the edge and pour out my heart into her hands with the hope that it might be enough to convince her that she was wrong. Maybe I could just wrestle a bear instead? Step out of an airplane again with no parachute? I could think of 1001 other activities that were far less terrifying than what I was about to do as I took the place at her feet I'd been eyeing for a while now. I just wanted to do this right. For her. And maybe a little bit for me too.

"Aaliyah... I have no idea what kind of woman you will become in the future. But that doesn't change the way I feel. And... I know that if it wasn't for you we would all be dead. You were brought here to make change. And I don't understand how you could be afraid of making change here when you were brought here to do exactly that but I do know that if the future I was supposed to have is anything like the futures you told us about before... the futures that other Donatellos have had... I don't have any desire to end up that way if the alternative is to end it with you. I don't care what kind of future was written for me or for us. I just want to find out what lies ahead with you and with my family. You may not have started your life here in this dimension but I promise that right here, right now, you're meant to be here. You being here feels more right than anything else we've lived through for years. I don't want canon. I want to be with you and my brothers and Sensei for as long as I can be. And if I have to... um... build you a castle or tear down the Statue of Liberty to show you that you being here is better than canon then I'll do it."

She didn't respond at first, only blinked at me with doe eyes while she processed (I hoped). And then finally after what felt like an eternity she cracked a smile and did her best to contain an amused snort. "I'm pretty sure Raphael would eat you alive if you blew up the Statue of Liberty. I think he's the most patriotic guy I've ever met."

Humor. Humor was a good sign. She wasn't running away and she wasn't smacking me with any large objects so thus far I couldn't really complain about how she was taking me renouncing 'destiny' to be near her. "Heh, yeah, but that's only if he could prove it was me."

She rolled her eyes at that, an action that was difficult to see in the dark but years of training to live in the shadows had a way of increasing your eyesight in low light. "Donatello Hamato, you are probably the worst liar I have ever met. All he'd have to do is ask you directly and then you'd be done for." At least she was smiling again. It was a huge improvement over the silent defensiveness from earlier, though she hadn't exactly agreed yet to anything I'd said.

"That may be true but that isn't the point. The point is that I need to know why you tried to convince me to be with someone else when we'd talked a little bit about the possibility of us trying a relationship. I still don't understand why you would do that."

She huffed unhappily and looked away, my hands reaching up to take hers in the hopes that my body language and actions would maybe communicate a little bit of the pounding of my heart that screamed for me to kiss her fingers and tell her everything. Tell her that I couldn't lay down to sleep anymore without remembering what it was like having her there with me after only one night of sharing a sleeping space. Tell her about every time I'd shuffled out of the garage or away from my lab bench and found myself peeking into her sleeping area to check on her, tugging a corner of the red knitted blanket she always slept with over her shoulder. Tell her about the times I'd talked to Leatherhead about her and the near-constant teasing on every patrol run from the brothers when they'd catch me grinning for no explainable reason.

I didn't, of course, I waited like I needed to for her to put her thoughts together. Interrupting with my own embarrassing confessions wouldn't have helped the situation in that moment. "I can't explain it in a way that will make sense. And you're not going to like where that destination leads."

"Please, Aaliyah, I want to know. Please let me in."

Another sigh, another pause, and then... "You deserve better. I'm not up to your caliber in any way and you deserve the best. Jhanna, she's a warrior. And now she's a queen. That's the kind of person you deserve. Someone who can keep up with you in strength and stamina and mind and everything else."

Again I was surprised. So often I felt like I was the one chasing her, trying to keep up with her. She was 10 paces ahead, mapping out the future, hell sometimes it even seemed like she could direct the stars and the course of fate itself. Comparatively speaking I was just one of the pawns in her elaborate game of chess she played with our world and she was feeling insecure about her ability to keep up? It was absurd, honestly, but I did have at least some remaining tact left that kept me from laughing at just how ridiculous that all sounded to me.

"Aaliyah, you're the only person that I've met who tries as hard as you do to listen to me and understand me, even when I'm speaking in jargon. There are very few times when I have to stop and give a definition or an explanation for something when we're talking, and that's another thing. WE talk, together, we discuss and you carry full, intellectual conversations with me about science and technology rather than shutting me down or simply repeating "uh-huh" back to me in a false pretense of listening. That's all I could have ever asked for."

She sighed in exasperation, clearly indicating that she was under the impression that I didn't understand. "Donnie, you deserve MORE than that!"

All I could do is sigh in return and try to tackle this from a different angle. "You believe that I should be able to have a 'dream girl' of some kind."

"Yes!" Her hands squeezed mine and shook them a little bit for emphasis, "that's exactly what I've been trying to say!"

"Alright. Then how about I tell you about the kind of woman I've never let myself hope was out there, but if I had the opportunity to ask for her what I would request... she would be intelligent and curious. More curious than intelligent, even, the kind that wants to be a life-long learner. I'd ask that she be kind and compassionate, that she'd care about my well being enough to want to get after me when I let myself go for the sake of a project. But at the same time I'd also want her to be independent and understanding, she'd have her own activities to participate in and let me work when I get into the flow. I'd hope that she would get along with my family, that they'd love her and want her to be around so I wouldn't have to always leave to see her. Strong, but more emotionally and mentally strong than physically strong. Physically strong is good too, just not a requirement I'd specifically ask for. But more than all of those things I'd ask that she be able to see past the green and the shell and really see me, see my family, as people and as individuals that she could love back. That's the kind of woman I'd ask for if I could ask for such a thing."

Saying all of that out loud was almost more of a revelation to myself than to her. I wasn't exaggerating when I prefaced that bit of information by saying that I never let myself hope that there was a woman out there that would be a perfect match for me, I barely allowed for consideration that there might be a woman or two who would have the capacity to accept us as friends and then also take romantic interest in one of us. Leo and Raphael would be the obvious first choices, they being the Alphas of our little family. Though there was something to be said for Michelangelo and his natural talents with interpersonal communication and relationships, several online polls I'd read in passing Had stated that humor was very high on most women's priority lists.

The odds were so slim that we could ever meet a woman that not only took romantic interest in one of us but then also took romantic interest in myself specifically it was painfully laughable. If it were to happen I would hardly even be able to measure the likelihood that our personalities wouldn't require a lot of work in order for them to blend workably together. And the chances of us being a perfect match, that she meet every requirement I'd never actually put together into a coherent description? Depressing at best. Sure on occasion I would think of a single attribute that might make a possible future relationship more workable, one quality here and one quality there. Never all together, as it was clear to me that hoping for any combination of features would only be setting myself up for failure.

But there she was, right in front of me, and with this sudden revelation on my part staring me in the eye in a way that even overshadowed the way she was looking at me I found that boost of courage that came with a perfect calculation. The kind that told me that even though this was a primary trial run, a maiden voyage, that the chances for failure were slim enough I could test it out mid-battle. That I could put my heart and life on the line for this, even though it was reckless, and still come out in mostly one piece.

Yeah, maybe Aaliyah was right when she called me an 'adrenaline junkie.'

I had enough evidence that in that moment I didn't even feel the need to run a calculation as to what the chances were for failure right then. Her eyes had gone wide and shy in a way that spoke volumes about the way she felt about herself and about me. Adrenaline spiked my heart rate as I sat up and leaned forward, letting go of one hand to cup her porcelain jaw with one of my massive, green, calloused, three fingered hands. "I never could have dreamed up anyone more perfect than you, my beautiful princess. And I would do anything, I would follow you anywhere, be anything you need me to be, so you would never forget that... If you'd let me."

Blood still pounding in my veins I leaned in, tilting her chin up, for a tender kiss. It was almost always a surprise to feel just how impossibly warm her skin was, and surprising each time at how her lips were even more so. Even the breath that rolled across my cheek after catching in her chest was warm. Warm like late spring and a hard working CPU and the steam from fresh coffee and yet easily far better than all of them combined. The only thing that made it better was the tickle of her warm breath dancing across my neck 32 minutes later after carrying her to bed and her delicate fingers laced around my wrist, asking me to stay. Laying beside her, limbs tangled while her breathing deepened and evened out against my neck, was probably the best feeling there was in the world.

"Don?"

"Mm?"

"I love you."

Ok... scratch that. There was one other feeling that took first place as the best feeling in the world.

And as it turned out, that feeling was tied between the sleepy smile and kiss I got when I said 'I love you too' and waking up the following morning to another sleepy smile and a kiss haloed in messy tumbles of strawberry blonde hair that was followed up immediately with the suggestion that we make our relationship official.

Or maybe it was sitting at breakfast while Michelangelo wore a grin that I was pretty sure wouldn't wear off of his face for a solid week, watching Raphael snort at Aaliyah's suggestion that sometime in the upcoming days (now that both her and myself were healing up) the two of us begin some _physical therapy_... the kind that had just a slight intonation added to those two words to indicate that it was perhaps going to be more than my arm and her side she was hoping to work out.

Who knows... maybe there was a whole world of 'best feelings ever' that were going to open up in the weeks to come.


	4. Midnight Investigations

**Hey! Sorry this chapter took forever but I really wanted to get the smut just perfect. ;) Here's your porn that Donnie deserves, take it and enjoy**

* * *

September melted into October with little ado and the farmhouse became a glorious place to be among so many deciduous trees. Don, Mike, and Raph were like kids again running through the forest of changing leaves, building huge leaf piles to toss each other into and generally just being rambunctious with the changing seasons. Even Leo mellowed out a little bit on occasion when he would go meditate out in nature. On the other hand, though, there was only so much tomfoolery he could stand before he started getting snappy again. But with cooler weather and the whole forest alive with preparations for winter even Raphael was feeling a little bit more patient with Leo's moodiness.

That rambunctious, playful energy wasn't just restricted to brotherly shenanigans either. Donatello might have been a bit tentative about being in a relationship at first, testing the waters carefully in order to feel out what was considered 'appropriate' and what was not, but once a level of ease and comfort had been established it was incredible to discover just how similar Don and Mikey were. They both absolutely craved affection and could be incredibly boyish about how they asked for it, both having an easy knack for just rolling with the punches and yet having a dogged determination to get what they wanted, most especially if it was something they'd had before and loved.

Nowhere was this more apparent than after the sun went down and sleep was imminent. Having invited Donnie to fall asleep in the same bed as myself, in my head, had been intended to be more of an occasional thing. He had his brothers that he'd slept nearby for the whole of his life up to this point, I wasn't especially intending to take him away from them so soon. That first time in the farmhouse was more of a tactile way to reassure him of where we stood, that I really had meant everything that was said. And that I really was serious about moving forward.

The next night he'd helped me to bed and then stood there a bit nervously, fidgeting as he asked if he could join me now that we were officially boyfriend and girlfriend. I'd relented then also, thinking that with the newness and the teasing that had been near-constant that day he could use the physical contact. And, of course, sleeping in a cocoon of muscled turtle the previous night had been really nice. I wasn't above bending to the breeze. He beamed and practically ran to get to the other side of the bed, gear hitting the floor with an unceremonious 'thunk' on his way around. And once he was curled up like an armadillo, never happier to be compared to a big spoon than that very moment, I could have sworn he started purring.

The following night however, I had thought that I'd gotten him to agree to head back to the shared room with his brothers but a goodnight kiss gone passionate had me waking up the next morning deeply confused and lightly smacking him for being a sly fox. He didn't deny the accusation, only chuckled deep in his chest and captured my swatting hands to kiss me again. And so the pattern continued until I flat just gave up a week later trying to convince him to sleep near his brothers. It wasn't as though he was ignoring them during daylight hours, so after being successfully tricked four nights in a row with increasingly elaborate schemes it just seemed like a moot point to get after him for. And welcoming him into bed definitely had its perks. Although to be honest I didn't really get to experience those perks until we got home.

You see, Donnie was in the best mood of his life (according to his brothers.) Creativity seemed to just ooze out of him and soon the turtle van was fixed up and ready to go. Of course I felt a little bashful about even mentally claiming any credit for his spike in mojo but everyone else seemed to have no problem teasing that we should have gotten together ages ago and Donnie could have taken Shredder down himself. The only problem with having the van done was Leo's vehement insistence that we get back to New York City immediately. The power vacuum left behind after Shredder's defeat was going to leave the city in a turf war that they had to stop, who knows what kind of trouble could have cooked up after a month of being gone!

…

… …

… … … Right ...

... It wasn't that I didn't agree with him... It was just that leaving the farmhouse meant we were definitely moving closer to the inevitable. And the inevitable was sounding less and less appealing with the way a relationship seemed to change Donatello. No longer skirting around the issue of possibly unrequited feelings did wonders for his stress levels, the shy and almost worried way he'd look at me before almost immediately flipped to goofy smiles that shone raw with adoration.

Honestly, it was intimidating at first. I was worried that maybe he'd forgotten all the stupid things I'd done and put me up on some kind of pedestal that I had no business being on top of. Pet names like princess squicked me the wrong way up until I nearly fell down the stairs trying to get somewhere on my own and Donnie patiently pulled the slivers from the railing out of my hand while telling me, 'princess, I know you want to be able to run around and do all of the insane things you did before but your body is just not ready for that yet. Please, please just let me know if you want to get somewhere so I can be there. All I want is to just be there for you. Is that really so much to ask?' He wasn't only asking about stairs and physical therapy, of course he wasn't, so how could I say anything but apologies and promises after a question like that?

But even more than a change in the way he looked my direction were the changes that were happening to his self confidence. He seemed to be bolstered in a way that was deeply satisfying. They may have been just little things when viewed from the outside, fingers that reached for mine first and touching foreheads after breakfast and gentle midnight kisses that peppered my shoulders, but it truly was deeper than that. And all of these little, small changes were adding up to something bigger that was very exciting to watch. Donnie was blooming and there was no way to know what he would look like once he was fully unfurled except to wait and see.

Going back home was both good and bad in many ways. Being underground cooled the rambunctious energy that bubbled out of everyone, bodies starting to head into 'winter' mode. Home meant patrolling and now that Donatello's arm was fully healed he was no longer exempt from Leo's temper. And home meant finding out, much to everyone's deep annoyance, that Leonardo was right to a degree. Casey had been doing his part to clean up the streets of low lifes and thugs but there was a movement happening across the city that warranted immediate attention. Leo's immediate attention, specifically.

The boys ran recon for a full week, gathering and organizing intel for Casey to turn in to local authorities. Leo had no desire to get in the middle of any of it, only just keep tabs on everything and assist the police force where they could to help minimize the amount of collateral damage that looked imminent. As soon as it was dark enough to be out they were running the rooftops, which included several nasty storms that rolled through during daylight hours.

By the end of that week everyone was frustrated, tension running high between the brothers. Raphael escaped as best as he could with working out, knitting, running the sewers and playing video games with Mikey. Donatello escaped it by carrying me off into his lab where he could tinker and work while I was nearby as a sounding board, assistant, and lover once he'd decided he'd had enough of work. And understandably so with the outlets they had, Mikey and Donnie handled the stress a little bit better than their largest brother did.

Raphael disappeared. All the red-banded brother wanted was to just DO something already, and he did. Leo freaked out, dragged Michelangelo and Donatello out of the lair to find him, and two days later they came home beaten and bloody. The property damage that was all over the news from the gang war that had broken out was all I needed to see to know what had happened. A fortunate thing for the brothers, because nobody was really in the mood for sharing. Patching everyone up was an eerily silent affair and then everyone went to bed despite the mid-morning hour. But not everyone went to sleep.

Donatello's eyes were wide and sad when I pulled him down into bed with me. I'd had half a night of sleep compared to Don's none. I assumed that I'd lay beside him for comfort until he fell asleep, gentle hands brushing over his scales and his scutes always having done wonders for putting him out like a light. But it wasn't the case this time. Instead his hands mimicked mine, whispering over my skin exactly where mine were dancing over his scales. The cascades of tingles his fingertips caused made me hungry for more, but it was a more that I couldn't ask for knowing that he was exhausted and beaten.

After a few minutes of enjoying the reciprocal attention I rested my hand on his hip and stretched up to kiss him. His eyes remained unchanged but there was a different tint to them, one that was now searching mine as though maybe I might possess some kind of answer he needed. I personally would have probably said sleep was the answer but he had other ideas. His hand moved next, tracing small circles on the protruding bone until with a quirk of a smile I mimicked his motion. Don wanted a turn to lead the mirror game.

"Don... you need to sleep." It was my job to look out for him. If we were going to be in a relationship then we had to watch out for each other, that's how it worked. And my self control wasn't going to be enough to deny his hands if I didn't do it right now. "You're hurt, your body needs to rest."

"I am resting. I'm laying down." He pointed out, his shell-shocked expression finally cracking shyly. He squirmed a little bit while rolling something around in his head, I could tell by the dart of his eyes that the gears between his ears were spinning.

One thing to be said at this moment – most organisms have only a few basic needs. Food, water, shelter from the elements, reproduction. Present any of these to almost any organism, no matter how well disguised, and they are immediately recognizable. Even the most convincing wax apple and a real one, placed into the hands of a person, can be easily discerned by the weight and the smell. And in moments like these where no words have been said but the other is thinking about one of those specific, basic needs... it's almost immediately recognizable. Maybe our noses can pick up scents that our brain cannot recognize consciously as being its own smell but can let the mind know that a basic need is wanting to be filled... maybe not. But in either case it was immediately plain where Donnie's mind was going... if only now trying to figure out the best way to get there.

"Aaliyah... can..." The hand at my hip twitched, his breathing hitched, "can I touch you?"

The smart alek in me was deeply, sorely tempted to grin and reply that he was touching me already. I don't bite my lip often, I think it looks stupid when I do it because my lips crinkle and curl awkwardly, but I did bite it then to keep the sass from spilling out. It wouldn't be fair to Don who was both physically and emotionally drained and also asking nicely for something that was hard to ask for.

"Donnie, I – how can I answer that question? There's no right answer, not while you're hurt." The backs of my fingers brushed over a dark bruise on his jaw and his chin tucked, eyes averted while he thought about the obvious challenge at the moment. I was grateful that he was intelligent enough to be able to weigh pros and cons in his head because I'm not sure I could have spelled it out for him right then, not while worry was pinching my heart in my chest.

After some silent deliberation he shifted up onto an elbow and mimicked the motion I'd just made, brushing his knuckles across my cheek softly. "Everything hurts. Laying still hurts equally as much as moving around if I'm careful. If it starts becoming too painful I'll stop."

The pinch of my eyebrows immediately smoothed out into a knowing and bemused expression. "Dee, if I said you could strip me naked and take me now I'm pretty sure that not even bleeding out would stop you. 'Too painful' is completely arbitrary."

He feigned offense and turned up his nose at my analysis, but not without a humorous twinkle in his eye. "Madam, you wound me. Clearly I would tourniquet the wound First and stop the bleeding before indulging in any form of debauchery, I could never deface your porcelain complexion with my blood." He quietly gigglesnorted, face turned to the side to try to cover up the sound of it, and then bashfully looked back at me to amend his statement. "You might not be... completely inaccurate there. But if I start to experience any severe or debilitating pain levels I really will stop. I don't want to worry you."

"Too late." Was my sly but honest reply, and it made him chuckle. It quickly faded out and was replaced by a pained expression that didn't have anything to do with the number of stitches he'd had to get before coming to bed.

"You're so beautiful. And... I understand. I'm so grateful, every day, every hour, that I have an angel such as you looking out for me. You're more than I deserve, so much so I can't even calculate the number. Believe me I've tried on a number of occasions. I love you so much it hurts." He leaned in carefully to capture my lips in a tender kiss and then settle back down against my side. He didn't push any further.

And it left me in a deeply awkward situation.

I was so used, in my past life, to being pushed and pushed and pushed until I gave in that it took me several minutes of waiting for more pushing to come before I realized that he'd actually listened and accepted my initial 'no' as final and was not going to try to convince me otherwise. And once I realized that the next thing to make itself known was that damned be my desire to do the right thing and let him sleep, I just plain wanted him too. So now what was a girl to do?

Huff through my nose, first, which caught his attention and cracked one of his eyes open to survey what was wrong. There couldn't be any harm in being honest, could there? "Donnie. I want to touch you and I want you to touch me. I just feel terrible because you're hurt. I don't want to hurt you and I don't want you hurting yourself just because I can't be the bigger woman and keep it in my pants. But I also really want you. And I don't know how to reconcile the two."

Both of his eyes snapped open and blinked rapidly as if he wasn't quite believing what he'd heard. Rising up on his elbow again slowly he seemed to only just barely grasp that I might be rescinding my earlier 'no' and his breathing picked up it's pace in response. "We... You mean it?" When I nodded his eyes darted around, looking over the walls in disbelief. When his eyes dropped back down to meet mine again they were wild and crackling, a blend of desperate starvation and several varieties of terror, his hand opening and closing between us hesitantly. "I'll, I'll go slowly. I-I won't get hurt, I won't hurt myself I swear. I promise."

A grin tugged at my lips and I pulled him down for a searing kiss, the hand caught in the middle splaying shaky fingers across my hip. So long as our lips were locked the very farthest he would venture was to slide just a bit further south and grip the curve of my ass, fingers digging into the soft flesh. He sighed softly into my mouth, cool breath tickling my neck, and his tongue darted out to taste my lips while his hand slid slowly around and slipped along the back of my thigh. He repeated this action several times until my patience wore out and I wiggled away just enough to sit up and pull my shirt over my head.

He was slack-jawed and deeply flushed but still managed to sit up beside me with only one small wince. It was a little bit embarrassing to watch his eyes slide over every inch of my newly exposed skin but I did feel a little bit better knowing that mine wasn't the only face burning. Tentatively he reached over as if to touch my stomach but stopped just shy of actual contact, wide eyes jerking up to bore into mine with questions that were so plain they didn't need to be spoken. And the very best answer I could give was to take his hand and pull it up so that his palm kissed my navel and his fingertips pressed against the soft fabric of my bra. He gasped and jerked his hand away like I had physically burned him but I just needed to let him know that I was more than ok with his hands exploring.

"Please, Don, I want you to touch me. Intimately. You have every permission I could ever give you to go ahead, just as long as it's not straining you too much remember." The corner of his mouth twitched up and he licked his lips, the fear slowly uncoiling from his muscles with the verbal reassurance. I'd have to remember in the future that he needed words more than he needed actions.

He, on the other hand, seemed to be at a complete loss for words and was relying solely on actions to communicate the indescribable thoughts and feelings happening in his head. He reached out again, only hesitating for a split second before putting his hand over my belly button and smoothing his fingers over the soft skin there. I was happy not to miss the way his breath caught in his chest, nor the impossibly quiet strangled sound that he tried not to make.

With a surprising strength I sometimes forgot he had because he was never anything except cautious and gentle with me he lifted me easily and smoothly set me back down much higher on the bed so that he could lean in and enjoy the softness of my stomach with his lips. Donatello's muzzle pressed into the supple little layer of fat that I couldn't help but loathe because it was impossible to get rid of, nosing it with a low moan and pressing little kisses across it until he reached my ribs and ran out of room.

The only difference between the way he approached my stomach and my still-contained breasts was that when his fingers kneaded my chest he softly swore, tongue darting out of his mouth to wet his lips. He was still so, so gentle with me but there was a hungry urgency to the way he nuzzled and kissed and licked what of my breasts were exposed to him, one hand snaking around but freezing at my side, hesitating and finally gripping the material tightly between his thumb and the side of this forefinger.

"A-Aaliyah." His voice was hoarse and deep, eyes lifting to plead helplessly at me. "Can I see you? Please?"

I nodded at him eagerly and pulled away, this time not feeling as embarrassed at being oogled. Though honestly that was most likely due to being so focused on him and everything he was doing that I didn't have the time to worry about myself. I waited with baited breath while expertly pinching the little clasp behind my back to see his pupils dilate, his body tense, eyes dart bashfully to the side as if recognizing that this was not for his eyes to see but unable to resist the urge allowed them to be drawn magnetically to the canvas that was newly bare for him alone. Daring to push for more, knowing somewhere distantly that the hands of fate were ticking closer and closer to an unavoidable day and hour, my thumbs hooked inside the waistband of the small pajama shorts.

CLAP! His hands immediately slapped over his eyes, the strangled choke that squeezed out of his heaving chest much louder than the last one. Giggling at how silly he was being I let the last remaining fabric drop to the floor and stepped out, sliding into bed next to him and draping myself back against my pillow. "If you want me to redress I can, but I also want you to see all of me. Whenever you're ready. I'll even close my eyes for you so you don't have to feel embarrassed."

So I did.

Everything was perfectly silent for a long moment, likely during which time Donnie had to steel his nerves against what was happening. But after what was close to probably a full minute there was the sound of him letting out a long, shaky breath and drawing in a quiet gasp that got stuck somewhere between his lips and his lungs, untangling with a groan as it slid back out. The sensation of fingertips on my thigh made me jump a little but I smiled up at the ceiling to make sure he knew it wasn't a bad thing. He froze for a second and then continued trailing his hands over every bit of skin now exposed to the cool air, taking his time with mapping out every dip and groove. Rough calluses warmed everywhere he touched and lifted the peaks of my breasts into firm steeples that were first explored manually and then teased orally, the delicious action of his lips and tongue against the sensitive nubs and everywhere in between urging me to arch my back and moan lowly in return. It was amazing how being deprived of sight could amplify the other senses, including hearing. At the sound of the moan that was pulled from my throat his mouth popped from the breast he was attending to and the sound was far louder than I was expecting, making me jump and squeak.

"Eep!"

"Aah!" Donnie jumped back in fright, and the sound of his surprise jerked my body into sitting up fully. "Aali- I'm so sorry! I didn't – I got carried away. I'msosorryI'msosorry are you hurt? Aaliyah did I hurt you?"

"What? No."

"Are- are you sure?"

"I'm fine, I just jumped because you jumped."

"Well I jumped because you said 'Eeeep!' "

"I did? Oh, right, I just squeaked a little because your mouth popped really loudly."

"It... it wasn't that loud... was it?"

"It sounded pretty loud, but I also had my eyes closed so that might have had something to do with it."

"Oh, right, hehe, I almost forgot. Um..." He looked away sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck, his posture starting to curl up into the ball of nerves he'd been before. "So I really didn't hurt you?"

Grinning and leaning over to squeeze his shoulder supportively I shook my head. "No. No you didn't. It actually felt really, really nice."

His eyes flicked over and he genuinely looked very pleased with himself to hear that but the look didn't last long, almost immediately it was overshadowed by a pained wince and an uncomfortable shift. "I'm sorry I ruined the moment. That was the last thing I wanted to do tonight, I really didn't want to mess this up but I guess you can't actually plan around inexperience. We can still cuddle, right?"

I crossed my legs and cocked my head at him, understanding fully why he thought that we couldn't continue but trying quickly to make it seem just a little bit ridiculous. Like the thought hadn't even occurred to me, just in case this happened in the future. "Don, what are you talking about? You really think that just because we had something silly happen we can't keep going? Sweetie... if you can't laugh while you're having sex then you're either doing it wrong or you're with the wrong person. You should always be comfortable enough with each other that you can laugh when something happens that's unexpected and silly. Things happen. At some point somebody is going to fart, a new angle is going to make a weird sound, somebody might fall off the bed a little bit, and it's ok. That doesn't kill the mood. Heck, even trying something new that turns out to be a no go doesn't totally kill the mood as long as you take the time to be patient and loving with each other."

He giggled lightly and turned his head to the side, cheeks darkening in embarrassment, but this time when he looked back at me the slightly bitter expression was gone and replaced with one that was both hopeful and hungry. "So... we're... ok? Do you want to keep going?"

One look at the bulge in his pants told me all I needed to know about how he was feeling at the moment but it was never a bad idea to double check, just in case. "Only if you want to. I don't want you feeling like you have to go farther than you're comfortable with. And I know how much words mean to you, so let me just say that I've been checking you out for basically as long as I've been here and I've adored you way longer than that. I've had more time to fall in love with you than you've had, so even though I may feel more than ready to lay you down and love all over you," the shade his face turned when I said that was unbearably adorable, "I can recognize that you might not be. And I'm ok with that. So to me, right now, the more important question is do You want to keep going?"

There was a subtle shift in his expression that made his face unreadable, there were too many emotions playing across those features to be able to pick out what feeling was dominating. And whether or not he himself had to figure that out too it still took a long moment of deliberation over some internal struggle of his before he could answer. "Yes. I do. I just... I'm not... anatomically speaking, compared to the average human male... I don't want to scare you, but I'm not... average. I-I know that's not the most descript way I could put it but there are certain differences that... I don't-"

"Don." I interrupted flatly, putting the breaks on this self-depreciating train ride. "Sweetie. Dear sweet summer child. Innocent bab." He stiffened indignantly and I snorted quietly at his incensed expression. "I am not going to sit here and tell you that I know exactly what you look like. I don't. But I CAN sit here and tell you that where I come from there are artists that have spent way too much time speculating on the subject and I can guarantee you that unless it has tentacles I have seen every possible variation there is. Don't question it, just accept it for now. I've seen speculations about there being prongs, about spade-shaped heads, the traditional red-eared-slider flower head, speculations about sizing ranging from the length of your plastron down to average-human-sized and every size and color in between. I don't know what combination of any of those things you have but I can guarantee I won't freak out. It'll be more of a 'oh so that's the combo that he actually has' kind of a moment. Compatibility has nothing to do with my desire to be with you."

He groaned lowly in deep embarrassment, face covered as soon as I'd started listing off examples. I really did feel sympathetic for how he had to be feeling. There's plenty of self hatred that comes with anything that makes you different, and especially if that difference is something intimate I could only imagine how that could only compound the problem for him. Surprisingly, however, he was soon breathing out a long slow breath and carefully guiding my hand to his waist.

"Ok. Just... Just don't freak out."

His eyes squeezed tightly shut, likely either from fear or for his own nerves, breathing slow and carefully measured while his fingers carefully plucked at the snap and zipper that kept his most intimate organ safely hidden. A small noise escaped his chest when the tight fabric released him and his full length could slide into view, out of the corner of my eye I just barely caught one fist gathering and gripping the blanket beneath him like a life preserver. He was nearly black, standing in stark relief compared to the light tan of his plastron. Making it up to the middle of his second lowest pair of scutes was impressive, but even more so was the fact that he was definitely protruding from the hidden tail between his legs. The head was slightly spade-shaped, pointed but not dangerously so.

"You're beautiful, Donatello, and if it's ok with you I'd like to touch you, please."

I'd already decided that I would tell him exactly that, even if his length was a traditional box turtle and bloomed like an orchid or spread out into a spiked trident. It was something he deserved to hear, and no matter how surprising the sight of his phallus might have been it didn't make the statement any less true. Seeing him like this, up close, was very different than seeing some kind of artistic rendering but more than anything I couldn't ignore the way his eyebrows pinched, hands fisted blankets, lips drew into a thin line, and his whole body tensed in preparation for what I might do or say once he was so exposed.

And after I asked that tension carefully dropped away, one eye peeled open to cautiously scan my face for any signs of terror or disgust, posture relaxing incrementally until he could finally nod his head a couple of times. He was still tense, still paralyzingly nervous, still terrified of what might happen, and still too unsure of himself to keep his eyes open. But the initial nightmare of even just showing himself had passed by without much ado and therefore he was already visibly much calmer about what was happening.

For a moment, anyways.

I wanted to touch him so badly that as soon as I had permission my fingertips were tracing the shape and memorizing the feel of him, that tension that had eeked out of his muscles back tenfold in a sudden jerk and a loud gasp. My free hand jumped up to his lips, covering his wide mouth while mine turned up into a pleased grin. "Shhh, Don, your family."

He nodded urgently, head rolling backwards in uncensored rapture, and switched to breathing heavily through his nose. Keeping him silenced I wiggled closer and gripped his weeping head, slender fingers working him in long, smooth strokes that dove beneath his waistline into the pants that still clung loosely to his hips. It didn't take long to find the tail he emerged from, the hand over his lips nearly falling into his mouth when experimentally kneading the appendage dropped his jaw fully open into a silent cry.

"Are you doing ok?" I whispered to him, worried about the deep furrow between his eyebrows that looked like he might possibly be in pain. I wasn't being rough with him, honestly it felt impossible to be too rough with him since his length was just as titillatingly unyielding as any of his other muscles. But like his shell I couldn't be too sure about whether or not he was being hurt just because the surface was solid and immovable. Against my concerns for him he nodded fiercely and guided the hand that had been covering his mouth down to the head of his erection.

"Please, Aaliyah, please. I need- oh- I need you. I need! Please." The furrow of his brow pitched upwards while he whispered back, body arching as much as his shell would allow. The slow tug of my hands drew out a seemingly unending stream of sounds from his throat no matter how many times I had to quietly shush him, all concerns about propriety thrown out the window once he'd been touched so intimately. It wasn't long before his body locked up and his pleasure peaked, fist flying to his mouth to muffle the cries that spilled lewdly from his mouth in tandem with the spilling that dripped in creamy rivulets down his plastron. The flared head that was held captive in my fingers pulsed powerfully and my want for him, the need to feel what that would be like while it was buried in my center, roared back to life after laying quietly off to the side while I focused on him.

But now that he was spent his member began to soften and shrink, sliding back into his tail and lightening in color as it did so. His body remained sensitively frozen until he was completely retracted, a rush of air leaving him quickly that could only be described as a sigh of relief. Blearily his eyes cracked open, glasses wildly askew, long arms reaching to pull me down to him but clarity of mind was only with one of us in that moment. So rather than heeding his pout and whimper I padded towards the exit to my little sleeping area and motioned for him to follow.

We both needed a shower, one that turned out to be far longer than I'd originally anticipated, before we could lay down together like he wanted and cuddle each other to sleep. Although, maybe I misjudged why he was reaching for me in the first place because once we were freshly showered and bedded once again even his injuries couldn't quite keep him from making sure that neither of us slept a wink until the lair began stirring in the morning.


	5. PWP - Investigation's Continuation

**OK SO GUYS... I was planning on advancing the story with this chapter but I got a couple very nice reviews asking if pretty please we could visit their "first time" together. It was kindof implied that their first time was later that night after the events of Chapter 4 but it WAS just _implied_. Sooooo... Here's ONE MORE FLUFFY SMUT CHAPTER and then we Really are going to advance the plot line. Next chapter seems to feel the most natural from Mikey's POV so yay! We get to see the next events unfold in the story from Mikey's view, it's seriously been forever since we did anything with this little nugget.**

 **THIS CHAPTER is going to be a continuation of last chapter and I'll be flip-flopping POV back and forth between Donnie and Aaliyah. I usually try to stick to one POV per chapter so it doesn't get confusing but this one just flowed better getting to peek inside both of their heads. I tried writing in 3rd person and it just didn't work, so TADA here we are.**

 **I WUV YOU ALL, and thank you so much for the reviews! They really do feed me, I live for feedback. ;) It was reviewers who made this chapter happen so I hope you all like it! You DID ask for it, ya dirty sinners. I'll see you all in turtle hell... lol mostly cause I'm already down here come join me it's getting lonely**

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She was breathtaking. I don't remember what life was like before she arrived and honestly I don't care to, even trying to remember what it was like before she was mine, Mine, wasn't a feat I wanted to undertake. Especially not here, not now, not after her dainty hands had just pulled the most powerful ejaculation of my life from me so effortlessly. Not with those long, slender fingers soaped up and lathering my body while mine did the same to hers. I never would have, could have, guessed or hypothesized that I'd ever want to forget but here I was, hands sliding over every inch of her impossibly, tantalizingly, soft skin wishing on every star in the night sky that I could forget I was ever alone. That I ever felt the need to dismiss the deeply rooted desire for female companionship out of fear over the implausibility of it. That I could replace every night I wasn't strong enough to fight off the yearning with the feel of her skin in my hands and the sight of her loving smile shining up on me.

She was breathtaking. Lovelier now than ever before and it had nothing to do with biological urges that came along with so much bared before me. She was mine. Totally mine. And she **loved me**. I could see it there in her smile and the tender way she cleaned each crack and groove, smile faltering with a flash of sadness over the deep scratches, bruises, and cuts her perfect fingers feathered over. She wanted to take that pain away. She wanted ME to feel whole and the fact that I wasn't was upsetting for her. I could have never dreamed of having someone care that much, that a bruise would be upsetting, and while it did pinch my heart to see her hurting over me it was still just so incredible. She was incredible.

She was breathtaking. She was Mine. She Loved me.

That first night she'd shared my bed while Leatherhead rolled and growled in the other room I'd felt this unfamiliar feeling of being so close, having so much more than I could ever dare to so much as think to ask for, and yet was practically debilitated with WANT for her. A similar feeling bubbled in my chest, beneath the pectoral scutes she was washing so sweetly, except this time it was a need for her. I needed her. All of her. I needed to be buried in her, lost in her, wrapped in and around and through her. She was already mine, but I needed her to be MINE. Sensitivity be damned.

When I leaned down to capture her lips she lifted up onto her perfectly tiny toes to meet me there, slick arms wrapping around my neck. Her scent made my head swim in a way that made me wonder if this was what it would feel like to be drunk. Touching her soap-slicked skin reminded me of the one time we found silk down here, the way touching it made you want to touch it more because of the texture. Even digging my fingers into her flesh to pick her up and lean her against the wall was so much smoother and slicker than anything I should have been allowed to touch that I didn't think I'd ever want to put her down. All it took for my tail to engorge and my phallus to slide between us was a soft smile against my lips. One that replaced by a silent shudder that dropped her jaw when I rubbed against her.

"Don..." I'd never get used to the way my name sounded when she gasped it like that, "You don't have to. I don't want you hurting yourself, you just came five minutes ago. And showers Are known for their great acoustics, I don't want to wake up your brothers and have them be mad at us for this."

Her words said 'maybe' but everything else said 'please.' The way her chin tilted up and her eyes fluttered closed, the pulse of her Kegel muscles that twitched her labia minora and majora, the breathy tone to her voice. All of it pointed towards one goal. "Aaliyah, please, I need you. I need you now more than I ever have before. I won't if you say no... if you don't want to... but I want you. I want to make you feel the way you made me feel. I want all of you, I want to give you all of me. Please. May I?"

I'm not exactly sure what prompted me, perhaps my embarrassing romantic notions or some biological surge in hormones, but I was reminded of just how light her lithe frame was and easily hoisted her into the air. The slippery conditions offered no resistance as she slid up the wall so I could bury my muzzle into her soft curls, so impossibly soft, and nuzzle the sensitivity there. Admittedly I had no idea of what I was doing once her thighs were resting on my shoulders but I didn't care. Lack of background knowledge had never stopped me in crisis situations before tonight and it sure as hell wasn't about to stop me now. As long as I had a direction or a goal, I never had troubles improvising what needed to be done to get there.

* * *

If anyone happened to wake up and catch us there was absolutely no playing off what was happening. Neither of us would have or even could have noticed a thing, not with his tongue sliding experimentally over and inside every crack and crevice he could find buried in my embarrassingly long fur patch. If I would have even considered the thought that maybe he would want to put his face There I would have shaved, or at least trimmed. But I'd never actually been on the receiving end of this kind of treatment before, not in any way that really counted. A tentative lick and a tongue wiggle so slight it could barely be felt on the rare occasion I could convince Him to try it barely counted in my mind.

Especially now with Donnie nosing eagerly through the forest, pillaging tongue digging deeply and fearlessly for every twitch and gasp he could unearth. Whispered strings of filthy curses spilled out, catching Don by surprise but with the far-too-shameless moan he dove back in with there was no mistaking the fact that it was a pleasant surprise. He wasn't the only one surprised, though mine stemmed from just how quickly climax seemed to be coiling my insides in spite of his clear inexperience. The spray from the running water made it impossible to tell if the dripping I was feeling came from inside or outside but one way or another Don wasn't going to be the only ten-second-Tina tonight.

"Just a little higher, please baby, there's a nub where the lips come together. Please, Donnie, fucking please." Always easy to entreat, his chin immediately tilted up and the tip of his warm, wet, thick tongue slithered up to find what I'd begged him to. After that I can't quite remember how many times I desperately whispered to him 'there, oh fuck right there please, right-' but it was probably however many you could fit into the one minute of attention it took for me to snap and come undone, shuddering and quaking in his impossibly strong grip that supported my frame so carefully.

He didn't let me down immediately, his forehead resting between my breasts while he tried to steady his breathing. I couldn't see his face but I certainly could feel him shaking, worry clearing my head so I could slide back down to the shower floor and cradle his face in my hands. "Are you ok?"

He nodded quickly and leaned down to press a bruising kiss over my lips, hips carefully angling forward to touch his twitching, throbbing length to my stomach. "Please, can... I don't want to make you do anything you're uncomfortable with..." Delicate fingers wrapped around him and started to stroke, pinching his breath in his chest, but his hands quickly captured mine and pinned them to the wall behind me. "No, Aaliyah, I... I want to..."

* * *

"I want to make love to you. Not just sex... I need you to know how I feel." God that was hard to say, there was enough cheese for a fondue backing that statement up, but it was true. Sure there was the physical aspect of it, I'd be a liar if I didn't acknowledge that every primal need I'd done my best to ignore for the maybe 10+ years I'd lived with them was now screaming with biologically driven urgency. There was so much more than that, though, even if this was the farthest we went physically I'd be completely satisfied with the opportunity to lay her down and kiss every inch of her skin twice if that's what she needed so she could know just how loudly she made my heart pound in my chest.

All I needed was a 'yes' and she gave it easily, immediately making my whole body throb and shudder in anticipation but I didn't act immediately. Not in the way part of me might have wanted to, anyways, by picking her up and carrying her straight to her bed. No. This was my princess, my angel, and she needed to know it.

Water off, carefully I led her out of the shower and kneeled down with a towel to dry her perfect skin. It was so soft and smooth, unmarred by scars or cracks like mine except for the slash that had healed well along her stomach. If she held perfectly still you might confuse her for a marble statue depicting the folly of man or a porcelain doll except that her skin was perfectly rosy, organic and warm in a way that even the old masters could never have captured. And she hummed so pleasantly at the gentle treatment I couldn't keep a smile off of my face even if I had tried. The biggest surprise, however, came after she was dry and I stood to lead her back to her corner of our home.

Because she stopped me then, taking the towel from my hands and began a similar treatment to my scales. "No no, you don't-"

"Shh. You didn't either, Don, but you wanted to. And I want to do this for you too. So hush." We both chuckled a little bit and I couldn't help but marvel while she worked. A true Beauty and the Beast moment, as it was never more starkly clear to me then with the towel catching on the rough edges and her pristine fingertips bumping over the uneven surface of my skin that I was so completely inhuman it started to mist my eyes. This wasn't fair to her. She deserved so much better, someone who wasn't all angles and hard edges that might scratch her or bruise her. Someone who wasn't green and could give her a life on the surface, replace the one she had before she was dragged here. What had I ever done to deserve someone like this who would pat my stitches dry and touch a gentle kiss as close as she could get to it without aggravating the tender nerves? Someone who's only noise of complaint was over the fact that I was too tall for her to reach the top of my shell? Who didn't mind the dampness at the corners of my eyes or the desperate cling of my arms around her tiny waist while I bent over for her to finish doing something for me that she didn't have to do, care for me in a way she didn't have to, but did anyways for some unknowable reason?

I finally picked her up, then, blindly wetting her skin again with salty kisses while I walked. My lips never left her beautiful neck and shoulders even when my knees hit the mattress and she was laid out before me, fragrant and trusting and mine. They only shifted, rough hands whispering all of the things I wanted to say with kisses following after to hopefully ease the discomfort my callouses might be causing. It couldn't be helped, there simply wasn't any part of my given anatomy that was soft but at least my fingers had learned control enough that the toughness wouldn't tear her.

And she sighed, moaning lightly, as if by some miracle I was actually bringing her pleasure. There was no point in questioning it, I would never be able to fully grasp that a mutant like me could ever please a princess like her, there was only embracing it. Pressing for more. Allowing the full reach of my freakishly long arms to finally be put to good use and caress the full length of her legs while my mouth worshipped her chest, impossibly so much softer and silkier than anything else in this world that I worried might catch and tear if I so much as touched my teeth to them, until she was shaking and whimpering beneath me.

"Please, Donnie, please I need you. I need all of you, please!"

* * *

I seriously wondered if he might never stop, even after begging. It was the most delicious torture that I never wanted it to end and yet was practically crying for it to stop if only so that I could feel more of him. I wasn't even sure he'd heard me until the point of something wet and thick and twitching was parting my folds cautiously.

"Aaliyah, I don't want to hurt you, but I need you too. So much it hurts." And I believed him, the stretch in his voice sounded like restraint and worry and I cracked open my eyes in response to it. Carefully he rolled forward to slide the full length him himself over the slickness between the petals of my lips, coating himself preemptively and the gasp that pinched his features was a perfect split between agony and ecstasy. "Ah! I love you, I love you so much!"

"Hey, hey, easy." I pulled him down to kiss him sweetly, the slow and steady rock of his hips as he continued to rub poured a groan into his mouth that he greedily swallowed and answered with one of his own. "Dee, Donnie, breathe ok? Just take it slow. It'll be ok. Eyes on me. If anything hurts you'll be able to tell and we'll get it figured out. Ok? Eyes on me."

He sucked down a few deep lungfulls, measured and controlled, and nodded his head. He looked down long enough to get lined up and then trained his gaze on mine.

* * *

How was she so unafraid? So trusting? Damage now might be irreparable, and not just physically. But she seemed so confident that all would go smoothly that it was easy to lean on her surety and pull one last breath in.

Ok, you've got this, you can do this. Billions of years of biology can't fail you now. Just nice and slow.

* * *

He looked terrified. But determined. It was adorable that he was holding his breath as the moment stretched out a couple of seconds, last minute nerves getting to him and freezing him in place.

"Donatello please, make me yours."

* * *

.

* * *

.

* * *

Euphoria

Overwhelmed

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Autopilot systems engaged

This wasn't a mental exercise anymore, it was surrendering. Burning from the inside out with something molten that started at our point of being joined and flared, radiated out in a rush that wiped out all mental systems at the same time it curled my toes.

HEAT, Wet, need, her, us, tight. More. Need more.

All eloquence was reduced to feelings, emotions, bursts of colors and ideas that had no words that could truly describe what they were. Her eyes widened at the tightness but rolled back in pleasure, not pain, and everything else was sound and sensation after that. Muscles bunched and coiled in a rhythm that was fire and passion and reverie in a roaring quiet that obliterated every thought I'd ever had except the feel of HER. All of her. Lips and tongue and sweat and springs coiling tightly in places that springs had never existed before, hands and mouths that fished for sighs and moans and Together. Us. We.

I didn't last.

The world came back into focus to the feeling of flesh between my teeth, a fact I first rectified carefully and inspected with tender, careful kisses and licks. Not broken. Her skin wasn't broken, only sporting a pair of red indents that a possessive part of me hoped wouldn't fade too terribly soon. Aaliyah grinned up at me and I peppered her face with grateful kisses that made her giggle, such a beautiful sound after something so intense. I really hoped that I hadn't woken up anyone, maybe that was why I'd had her shoulder in my mouth, but now that I was trying to remember if I'd shouted or not I couldn't remember her doing the same either.

"Did... did I go too early? Did you get to orgasm?"

The grin I earned was far too warm than what I deserved, and no words were needed to know that it was a smile of kindness and understanding.

No.

"I got to in the shower, silly goose. I don't need a second. You were perfect."

No no no no NO No no. Aaliyah was NOT going to be left unsatisfied. Fucking hell it wasn't like this was something that I didn't just become hopelessly addicted to or anything, if she hadn't made it all the way then dammit I was just going to have to bury myself in her scent against and get hopelessly lost some more until she did.

Twice.

At least.


	6. Saying Goodbye

**Hey guys! Now that we've all had our fill of sin, it's time to advance the storyline yay! Like I mentioned in the opener of last chapter's sin, this one will be from Michelangelo's POV. OK NOW WAIT A MINUTE hang on I gotta add a disclaimer. Ok? Don't be mad. I know some of you are going to read this chapter and be mad but I have my reasons, ok? Just bear with me on this. Trust me. I'm not just throwing angst and feelings all over the place to make things difficult. Alright? I'll put some more notes at the bottom to esplain but for now I just wanted to ask that you keep an open mind on this one. Thanks especially to Omobolasire1, SupernovaWolf, The Silvernote, Freija84, LeoandMe, and all of you wonderful reviewers who keep coming back and yelling in the comments about what your thoughts are after each chapter, you have no idea. I seriously sit and just squeak with joy every time a new reveiw comes in. You guys are the best! Hope you like the new chapter!**

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You know sometimes I used to tease Raph and Leo about being an old married couple because of how they'd bicker over literally the stupidest things all the time. I don't do that anymore, for two reasons. One, Leo's being enough of an asshole that even Raph's actually trying to be nicer to make up for it. And two... I finally got to see an old married couple in our house... and it's nothing like Leo and Raph.

Don and Aaliyah were perfect together. I was really happy for them too. A little jealous but who wouldn't be? They had everything any of us could have ever wanted. Love. Acceptance. Someone to laugh with and snuggle with and watch your back. They had it. Watching them be together you'd think they'd been married for 50 years because they just worked, they clicked, they could almost read each other's minds and even though they bantered a lot it was never mean. Just teasing, but always with this 'I love you' screaming in the background. It was kinda freaky sometimes. Like this one time a couple days ago I was with Dee and his mug ran out but he was too busy to fill it up and like one minute later Aaliyah walked in with a new one. It was like she just KNEW. And then Dee was all 'you're late with that' and Aaliyah just gave him this 'oh you' look and said 'sorry, I had to find a mug that wasn't squirreled away in here so long ago it's discovering fire so it can heat itself back up.' I mean they tease all the time but it's always so sweet. Weird stuff like that. But the kinda weird that was like the coolest and best weird that I don't even have a problem admitting to myself that I'm kinda jealous of.

Maybe that was just her though. She's always had this way of just knowing everything. Not just big stuff either. If it was only the big stuff like 'oh hey I remember this baddie you gotta fight him like this' but then she was pretty clueless about everything else then that would be one thing. But it was big stuff and it was also little stuff. Like sometimes she would just come sit by me while I was messing around and she'd put her head on my shoulder like she knew Raph and Leo were really getting me down and it was the perfect thing. She Always knew how to make me feel better, even when I was doing that thing where I kinda was ignoring the fact that I really wasn't feeling the best.

Geez, especially lately. Leo's been such a downer and it's been killin' all of us. 'Cept maybe Donnie, he's got Aaliyah to make sure he doesn't get too down about Leo. I mean I can't complain. She's there for all of us. She can talk Raph down like magic and she doesn't ever ignore the rest of us. But it's different for Donnie because she's just...

Man I don't even know how to describe it.

She gets all of us.

She spends time with all of us.

She's there for all of us.

But Donnie?

Maybe it's just that they're sleeping together now, I don't know. She used to sleep in my bed sometimes, you know, and Raph's too when he'd have nightmares. She was so, so soft and so warm. It was like the best little body pillow there ever was except 6 million billion times better. Body pillows don't hold you back and tell you that everything's going to be alright, rub your shell until you fall asleep or ask you if you were ok in the morning when you woke up feeling so safe that you were pretty sure old Buckethead himself couldn't have even gotten you then.

Anyways, what mattered was that Donnie was literally flying all the time and Aaliyah always had a smile on her face, even when Leo was being the biggest asshole, and Raph had me and Casey. It was probably the one thing that kept us all sane while he was going around being a dick, the other people that weren't letting him get them down. I mean Raph has his days where you better watch out but Leo being like that was starting to get scary. And I wasn't sure just how much more scary we could all take before things fell apart. Aaliyah was holding things together but not even magic like hers could keep everything going forever.

And I was right. It was almost 3 months after the big fight with Shredder and Leo was the one to finally snap. Sensei was running Leo through drills and doing how Sensei does, tryin' to get Leo to talk about what was going on so he was making honor boy do the beginner stuff. He'll do that sometimes with all of us, check our forms and stuff and make sure that we even remember the basics, usually with some kind of wise words about basics being a foundation for all the big stuff, I dunno. I like Basics Day because then I can slack off a little more. That's always the best. Mostly because I know how bad it pisses Leo off, watching him get his feathers all ruffled over something so stupid cracks me up every time.

What wasn't the best was Sensei picking out Leo's impatience and trying to help him with his form, which honestly wasn't bad or anything he was just going through it like it was all one motion, and then Leo freaking out. He did the kata again just as fast, if not faster, and then threw himself into this crazy kick flip sword slash ridiculous thing while screaming that he couldn't protect the family I was treating everything like a joke and Raph was too busy punching everything to listen and Donnie was too busy with Aaliyah and his tech to be helpful anymore and especially if Sensei was going to hold him back like this.

And just like that there was fur and blood on the floor, Dad was holding his arm, and Raphael punched Leo across the dojo.

I ran to dad, duh, and it honestly didn't look so bad. I mean it was a deep cut, don't get me wrong, but it was clean and all. Just gushing blood. Not the kind where Leo might have hit an artery, that happened to Raph one time and damn I still have nightmares about that. Just a hell of a lot of blood because it was a great big slice.

I didn't see that though. Not then. Not with Dad bleeding on the floor and Donnie going a mile a minute and Raph freaking out. Dad was crying.

Leo got Dad. And dad was crying.

Don and Raph ran off with Dad and I rounded on Leo. Honor Ass was trying to say something like 'Dad I'm sorry' but honestly that just pissed me off even more. The last one of us to actually hurt Splinter with our weapons was Raphie when he was seven and that was 100% an accident. Raph was trying to learn how to throw his Sai and Sensei was teaching him and Raph's aim was a little off. The thing flung straight back so Raph and Dad both ducked but Raph had the other Sai in his hand and scratched Dad with it while they were ducking. THAT was an accident.

This was something else completely. Nobody's hurt Dad since we were seven. We know better. Dad's spent YEARS drilling in that spatial awareness thing. Leo can fight blindfolded. This wasn't just an accident. This was just being stupid and unaware and careless and not being a ninja at all. Throwing away all that training because he's too busy being all angsty and pissy to care about any of the rest of us.

So yeah I was pissed. I got right in his face and screamed at him. "The fucking hell is your problem? It's bad enough you gotta shit on all of us for months but now you gotta make sure the ONE person you were probably making the Most miserable has to live with your attitude for the rest of his life? Because you're too good for Dad now? Our Dad, the only one we've got in life that raised us and taught us and literally has spent his entire life ON US, isn't good enough for you anymore? What is WRONG with you?"

At least he had enough soul left in him to look horrified and tear up. "I- I didn't mean to! I just..."

I scoffed and turned my back on him to go check on Sensei. "You know for someone who spends all day with a stick up his butt in the name of control you sure don't have a lot of it to spare for your family."

Yeah it was mean.

Like shell did I care though.

By the time I got there everyone else was already watching Don finish patching Dad up, Raph holding Dad's hand and Aaliyah helping Don with bandages to cover the stitches. Leo wasn't anywhere to be seen when we carried Dad back to his room so he could rest. Liyah brought him some tea and a little bit of cheese and then Dad sent us all out so he could rest and meditate. The only weird thing that happened was as we were heading out Aali put a hand on Splinter's paw and gave him a little squeeze, and I could have sworn she said, "While you're meditating, don't forget what we talked about. Ok? You know my thoughts about this."

Dad just nodded his head and gave her a sad smile, and then she kissed the top of his head and peeled out with the rest of us.

I couldn't believe it! I mean yeah, by now I shouldn't have been surprised that she knew, but it still hurt! If she knew then why hadn't she stopped it? She could have saved dad from getting hurt! I might have been a little rougher than I meant to be when I grabbed her arm but I spun her around anyways because aw shell no was she just going to walk into the kitchen like everything was fine!

"The hell do you mean 'you know my thoughts about this'? You knew this was going to happen?"

"What?" Raph rumbled over, quickly followed by Donnie who tried to snatch her away and keep her out of getting boxed in.

"No! Of course she didn't! Nobody saw that coming, Leo-"

"Don, Mikey's right."

Now it was Donnie's turn to box her in, and yeah it might not have been totally fair for us all to gang up on her like this but this was about DAD. This was IMPORTANT! "You could have stopped it!"

She shook her head at me sadly and sighed. "I also knew that Nano was going to attack a second time but that didn't mean I had any way of stopping it from happening. I hate seeing your dad hurt but there wasn't a thing I could have done. I know THAT things probably will happen but I never know WHEN things will happen, Mike. I don't have a countdown."

"Yeah butcha coulda warned Sensei ta watch out!" Raph accused and I nodded in agreement with him.

"I DID, Raph, that's what Mikey just overheard. I talked to him days ago about it. He knew to look out for Leo but that doesn't change the fact that all I could warn him about was the fact that Leo was going to need to be pushed to a breaking point and then he was going to lash out at Sensei and hurt him. That's not something that's going to allow Splinter to predict HOW Leo was going to lash out or When, only that it was going to happen."

"What do you mean 'Leo needed to be pushed?' Sensei was Trying to get hurt?" Donnie asked, not understanding any better than the rest of us were. Aaliyah was still boxed in but at least the vulture circling had stopped now that it was pretty clear Leo was going to end up hurting Sensei no matter what she did... which somehow didn't make me feel any better about him. Maybe worse, actually.

"Kindof. This is just part of Leo's story. He's going to have to take the Five Fold Path before he finds himself again. It's a really common theme through a really big number of known multiverses, and it looks like this is another one where this is just part of his growth and development."

"Five fold... Take a path? Dad's sending Leo away?" … … … Ok well maybe I was still hella pissed at him but I didn't know if I was THAT pissed. "For... how long? Is he going away forever? Is he going to be banished?"

Us bros all looked at each other and it seemed like we were all kinda thinking the same thing. Yeah Leo messed up and he deserved a good beating or something but... being sent away? He's still our bro... even if he's been beating Raph at the 'who can be a bigger asshole' game for months now.

"No, not entirely. See the Five Fold Path is something that you take as a spiritual journey. Leo may only need a couple of months, he may need years."

"Leo's got that meditating stuff down. Should only take a couple days, maybe a couple weeks for him ta take a spiritual journey." Raphael grumbled, starting to pace. He didn't want to say it out loud but what his tone was saying was 'not years. Leo can be gone for weeks, but not years. He's GOING to be gone for weeks and not years because years isn't an option for him.'

And I agreed.

"No, Raph, Leo has to travel the Whole World for this and learn lessons from his experiences. Courage, Compassion, Selflessness, Humility, Community. And Leo... has kindof a thick skull right now. So... on average it seems like it takes him about a year to get all of it down."

"So..." Donnie started pacing and now all of this nervous energy was starting to get me pacing too. "So what you're saying is that Leonardo is being sent away for one year to try to learn life lessons from around the world. How do you pack a backpack for a trip around the whole world? What kind of weapons is he going to be allowed to take? I'm assuming he's going to have to carry all of his gear so weight is going to be an issue... Is this like Survivor? What do I need to prepare for him?"

Of course Donnie would start thinking that way. I was more worried about other things though. Leo could always make weapons or steal stuff he needed, but what about the important things? "Liyah, is that a year with no contact or can we send him with a phone? Can we write him letters? How are we gonna write him letters every day if he's travelling? What if he doesn't have a charger? Or service?"

Raph picked up on where I was going and cut in, rolling right up to her with that look he gets when he thinks any of us are in real danger. "The shell are we gonna do if he gets hurt? Don can't patch him up if he's in Russia or somethin'! How're we gonna know if he needs our help!? What if he gets captured an' we gotta break him out?"

I blinked and suddenly Aaliyah had her arms around Raph, squeezing him tight. That's usually my job but he didn't seem to mind too much. He just kinda curled over and held on, suddenly my chest was feeling too tight and maybe I wasn't as angry with Leo anymore. It wasn't fair. All of this was happening an nobody even bothered to ask us AGAIN and now we just had to deal with it. Why couldn't Leo just let us help him? Why wasn't he letting us help him? He wouldn't have to go away if he would just pull his head out of his ass and let us help!

"Raph... I'm sorry. Leo has to be away from his family for a little while, he can't rely on you guys to carry his weight anymore. He's gotta learn how to be a big boy like you, and he's got a lot of growing up to do. You know how much he likes to pretend he's all high and mighty and holier than thou and big brother knows best? Well, life's gotta knock him on his butt a couple of times now. I can't promise he won't get hurt, I can't promise he won't need you guys, but I can promise he'll come back."

Aaliyah's voice was pretty muffled under all of Raph but Don and I could make it out mostly ok. Now we were all just sad. And Leo had taken off because I'd yelled at him so we couldn't even have a turtle pile on Leo. Seems like Don was having the same thought, except totally not the same thought because he looked around and then said something like 'gotta go get some stuff made' and peeled off for the lab. I just wanted to find Leo now, let Don take care of stuff like... Like Leo always did... oh shell...

"Aali, who's gonna be leader now?"

Raph kinda went stiff and stood up with big eyes, looking down at her like 'oh crap' but she just laughed a little. At least Somebody wasn't totally 400% depressed. "That needs to be a brother decision, but honestly if I had a vote I'd vote Raphael."

"What? Yer shittin' me." Raphie's face didn't change, if anything his eyes just got bigger. He almost looked scared in a way which got me cracking a smile a little bit.

"No I mean it. You and Leonardo are two faces of the same coin. You're made of the same stuff, you could do it if it was something you wanted to work towards and put some effort into. It's not your natural state, Leo doesn't like being you like he's been these past few months but situations have put him there and he's kept himself there for a while. If that's something you want, you could do it. Donnie may be the level headed one but we all know, bless his heart, that patrolling and fighting aren't his top priorities."

"I heard that!" Echoed quietly from the back of the lair and Liyah laughed again, shouting back at him, "The well being of your family is your top priority! Keeping them safe and clean and healthy! Not fighting and putting them into danger!"

"True enough" was Don's only reply and she shook her head at him from over here.

"Ultimately it has to be a decision between you brothers who the leader is going to be. But that's my thought about it. Donnie is a fantastic first mate for his level head and Mikey is a fantastic second mate to balance out Donnie's careful nature, but you all will have to lean on each other even more with Leo gone. Whoever is leader will Really need to listen to the other brothers and hear what they have to say."

Nobody said anything for a little while but Raph especially seemed to be thinking way harder than usual. I personally would have pegged Donnie as the one she would have put as leader. I mean... they are together. And Don's really smart. You'd think the genius would be leader.

But maybe she had a point. Don didn't want to be leader, he'd rather work in his lab all day. Sometimes we literally had to wheel his chair towards the exit tunnels to get him moving, not to mention his terrible sleep schedule. Don wouldn't want to lead battles. He'd rather we just patrolled for rapists and thugs and tie them up and call the police to pick them up. Which is fine, but with the Shredder gone we needed to do more than that. And it's saying something when even I'm like 'bros this isn't enough' because I'm like Don, I've got other things I wanna do instead of chase the same bad guys day after day. It gets old sometimes, you know?

Raph and I looked at each other at the same time and the big lug smirked a little. "Well whaddya think Mike? Should we let old Fearless sulk some more while we round up some junk for him to take? I think we oughta hide a rock in his bag and see how long it takes him to notice."

I may still have hated the situation. I may have hated Leo for leaving and for hurting Dad and everything that led up to now. But at least this Hothead bro of mine could still find a way to pick me up. Maybe he wouldn't be such a bad choice for leader after all. "I think we all should put a rocks in his bag with our names on them."

Aali grinned and finally let me have my hug. God did I need that. At least she would be here. She wasn't going to leave us. She'd gotten us this far, there was no reason to believe that we couldn't make it as long as she was around to pick up the pieces and put us back together after Leo left. In fact, after a couple of great big spinny hugs I was feeling a lot better so Raph and I took off to find Leo stuff he was going to need. A second pair of pants and a hat and maybe a shirt that Liyah could sew to cover his arms so he wouldn't get burned in a desert and a belt cause his was getting old and all kinds of stuff! Donnie was going to have to share her more once Leo left because her hugs were going to be the only thing that was going to get me through having THAT much more Raph around. We'd have to talk to him about that.

Scavenging was fun, even though it was daylight outside. We try to never go out in the day because it's just too easy to be seen but today we had to. For Leo. We didn't ever run into him though. Probably found a corner to cry in, serves him right for making Dad need stitches. Not like we were going to talk to him anyways. Just before we left Aaliyah made us promise not to talk to Leo about it until Splinter had the chance. It made sense, so we all agreed. This was gonna have to come from dad, not 'oh dad's sending you away cause you were naughty' kind of a thing. That wasn't going to help anyone. So whatever, we had to keep our mouths shut for a few hours.

When we got back, though, after we took all our stuff to Donnie's lab Leo finally showed up. He looked awful, like he'd just run all the way around New York with a fire hose on his face. He didn't say anything to any of us, just went straight to the dojo to meditate and he stayed there for hours. We didn't really mind, you know other than the fact that we were all dying because we couldn't tell Leo 'til dad talked to him and stuff, but Raphie already was starting to take the lead by dragging Donnie out so we could go scavenging together for stuff. We didn't talk about who was gonna be leader yet, still seemed kinda early. Like planning a funeral for somebody who isn't dead yet. But it did feel pretty natural to let Raph make the calls for the night. He even did like Aaliyah said and stopped to ask Don and me where we wanted to go hunting for stuff, not just lead the way to the places he thought we should go.

Maybe this wasn't gonna be too bad.

I missed Leonardo already but we could be a ninja triangle without him too. For a little while. Not for forever but for a little while... I honestly felt like we were going to be ok.

We got back and started to get working, all three of us piled in Donnie's lab makin' stuff and working on getting ready for when Leo was gonna have to go, which Aali made it sound like was gonna be sooner rather than later. So we all had to work fast. I worked on sewing up stuff, making sure that Leo was gonna have a good pair of pants to take and I patched up backpack we found for him and I even had time to make a pretty freakin' sweet new arm band for him with all of our colors on it so he could have a little piece of us with him. Leo wasn't gonna get to go travel the world without taking us along.

"My Sons."

Panic.

All of us dropped what we were doing when we heard Dad call for us and we scrambled out of Dee's lab as fast as we could. Dad was walking out of his room with a shell-shocked Leo in tow, followed by... Aaliyah? Why was she in there? Oh well, probably just talking with them about what other Leo's have had to do. All that 'Four Fold Road' stuff she was telling us earlier. We all followed Dad to the table and kneeled down around it, Aaliyah taking up a spot next to Splinter which was kinda weird but whatever. She usually sits next to Don but she probably was gonna have to explain some stuff again so it was cool.

"My sons, your brother Leonardo is going to embark on a journey. A pilgrimage around our world to discover the Five Fold Path. However, the Five Fold Path is not one to be traveled alone."

Bro we all perked up so fast I think I hurt my neck. We three amigos all looked at each other like 'no way, we get to go too? Dad's letting us go around the world? What?' But then Dad went on.

"After much meditation on what has happened, as well as meditation about the advice that has been provided by Aaliyah on how to proceed, I have decided to allow her to accompany your brother on his journey."

… w- … what?

"Fucking WHAT?"

"Language, Donatello."

"Sensei, no!"

"Donnie, honey listen..."

"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME?"

"DONATELLO!"

I zoned out. I'm really sorry. But I did. This wasn't how it was supposed to go. But Dad yelling at Donnie snapped us all out of whatever was going on inside our heads and finally I looked around at the bros. Leo looked ashamed, and still furious. He didn't want her to go with him. Donnie's face was dark and wet, ready to explode as soon as Sensei was done. Raph looked confused and unhappy but didn't really seem to show much about how he was feeling about all this. And Sensei... sensei looked hurt, tired, sad. All of this was so hard on him. But he was trying to be strong anyways.

"My sons, it is decided. There is a boat that Leonardo and Aaliyah will take that departs from the bay tomorrow night. And they will not return until your brother has completed the Five Fold Path to regain his purpose and direction. I suggest that anything you wish to discuss or finish to assist your family in preparation for this event, do it quickly. You are dismissed."

Donnie jumped to his feet, stormed around the table, picked up Aaliyah, and stormed out. She didn't put up a fight at all, I guess she figured it was coming so why fight it? Leo stood up kinda slowly and walked out after Don, followed by me and Raph. There was stuff to do, stuff to say, and only one day? Don apparently had the same thought because not two seconds later there was the roar of the Battle Truck coming to life and peeling out of the garage. Probably with Aaliyah inside. Poor girl. It's tough to piss Donnie off, really piss him off, but when you do oh boy you better watch out. A truly angry Donnie is enough to send Raph running. Maybe Donnie wasn't actually angry and more just... hurt? Pissed because he's hurt but mostly hurt?

But Leo was here, though, and that was something. So I grabbed him and dragged him to Donnie's lab to show him what we were working on for him and he got kinda teary eyed about it so Raph and I hugged the crap out of him. Then Raph socked him.

"THAT's for hurting Dad an' bein' an ass for months!"

"Ow!" Leo rubbed his arm but it was true, he deserved that. So I wasn't gonna stop Raphie while he was on a roll.

"So now you're gonna up and leave us so you can go get lost in a jungle an' catch some kinda disease and then bring it home so we can all catch it too. You ain't gonna have any kinda backup out there, so whaddya gonna do if you get seen and caught an' thrown inta some kinda Bolivian prison or a lab an' we don't know that we gotta come save your sorry ass again, hm?"

"I'll write letters, ok?"

"Sure, like once a year? How the hell's that supposed to help?"

"I'll write as often as I can, weekly if I can swing it and monthly at least."

"You could be dead for a month and we'd never know it."

"Fine, weekly then. But you can't come save me anyways. I have to figure it out on my own."

"Oh you mean you'll actually have to do some of the work rather than jus' pushin' us around all the time? You won't have anyone to order around anymore, pretty boy, you're gonna have ta getcha hands dirty for once."

"I've always carried my weight and more, Raph, mine and half of yours and Mikey's and Donnie's. I'll be FINE out there on my own!"

Raph and Leo were nose to nose, yelling at each other and it was seriously the worst thing ever. I hated it. Leo was going to be leaving soon! Why were they fighting?!

"Oh yeah? Because I can betcha two things, Leo, while you're gone. I can betcha that one: you're not gonna last two weeks without ordering people around and two: that when you DO finally come back I'm gonna be five times the leader you ever were and Donnie and Mike aren't gonna wanna take you back as leader!" Leo balked and took a step back, totally not believing anything Raph just said. But Raph ate it up, putting his hands out and strutting the distance Leo backed up. "Yeah that's right, I'm gonna be takin' your place while you're out playing in the jungle, keepin' this family going. Doin' what you shoulda been doin' but haven't because you've had your head so far up your ass this whole time that you couldn't see how you were breaking this family apart! Ever since that fight with Shredder!"

"Raph!" I had to step in. This was getting ridiculous. Leo was leaving and Raph was trying to push him out the door? "What is your problem, bro? Chill Out!"

"No, Mikey." Leo shut me down with a wave of his hand and I scoffed at him. "Let Raph think that being leader is so easy. Let him think that it's just giving a bunch of orders. Because if he thinks that then you guys won't be able to Wait to have me back."

Raph snorted and rolled his shoulder at Leo, turning his shell. "Yeah we'll see about that."

"I guess we will."

They didn't talk to each other for the rest of the night. Which sucked. Here I was thinking that everything was going to be ok and then Raph had to go and do THAT and everything seemed to tank after that. Donnie came back at dawn, both he and Aaliyah had puffy faces like they'd been crying for a long time but then again they did head straight for the shower before they thought anyone could catch the Eau de Sex that wafted in after them. I didn't even want to know. But I sure as hell wasn't getting in that truck again until Donnie power washed it.

When they came out all fresh and clean it was pretty clear that nobody was going to be sleeping until Leo left, because they both headed straight for Donnie's lab. I was kindof afraid to peek inside in case they'd figured that since this was going to be their last day together for a while they didn't care about anyone seeing them... y'know... but after a while of it being dead quiet in there curiosity finally got the better of me and I snuck a tiny peek.

Donnie was working in his chair, doing his inventing thing as fast as he could, and Aaliyah was in his lap. Just snuggling. Nothing dirty. I just... kinda watched them for a while. Maybe because the whole place was so somber and tense but here it was so quiet. Sacred in a way. I almost wondered if she was asleep on his shoulder but after a minute she rolled her head to kiss his neck and Donnie paused just long enough to close his eyes and turn to press his cheek to her hair, both of them frozen in time, and then they'd roll back to how they'd been before so Donnie could keep working. Aaliyah's hands were touching him while they were sitting there, yeah, but not in like a dirty way. More like... memorizing. Like counting his scales and the rings in his plastron and the ribs under his skin and making sure that even if she came back blind she'd know him instantly.

I felt kinda weird for watching... but I didn't wanna leave either. I couldn't just go in and ruin the moment for Dee... but eventually the closeness and the quiet won out and I snuck in. I wasn't gonna ruin anything, honest, but when Liyah saw me and held out a hand I couldn't help it. Donnie growled a little bit at having his snuggle buddy pulled out of his lap but a look from our best girl shushed him pretty well. I didn't wanna really steal her away. But I needed some snuggle time too. So I sat down on the floor nearby and just hugged her tight.

"Babycakes, why do ya have to go? You could stay here... Leo will be ok by himself. He can get it figured out. He'll be ok. Just... stay with us. Don't go. You already left one family, don't leave another. Please."

My insides did something when Donnie's and Aaliyah's breath both hitched at the same time. It was like a skip-flop but not just in my heart, it was all of my insides all at the same time. "Mikey... I have to."

"No, you don't. Leo's an ass sometimes but he's smart too. He can do it. You have ta trust him."

"Michelangelo, you aren't the only one who's sad. I'm sad too. But this has to happen. Leo has to have someone who can help him on the Five Fold Path."

"But there Has to be Someone! There has to be a shaman or a guru or some kind of Ancient One who can help him instead, right?" And there went the water works. I really didn't mean to start sobbing on her, with my gross snotty face all on her shirt and everything but she didn't seem to mind. Of course she didn't. But I still felt kinda bad.

"Yes, there is, but you have to understand. Leo's in a really hard place in his life. He won't listen to anyone, even a guru or a shaman or anyone else. For a while he's not going to listen to me either. But he Will listen Eventually. And we're not going to be gone forever. A year at most. The reason Leo needed a year in the other universes is BECAUSE he goes alone. He gets lost, and he can't find the Five Fold Path by himself. The lessons don't really sink in and he gets stuck, honey, that's why I'm going. He just needs a guide rope so he doesn't fall off the path. I'm not trying to drill anything into him, I'm not trying to be a new sensei for him, I'm just a guide rope because that's what he needs. He doesn't want a guide rope... but he needs one. And if I do a super job, maybe we'll be home even sooner than a year."

I sniffled and snuffled and squeezed her just a little too tight so her back popped but she didn't whine about it at all. She just rubbed my shell and squeezed me back and … and was it so wrong if I didn't want to let go? If I didn't want to give her back to Donnie just yet? I don't know why I felt so guilty for keeping her as long as I did... ok maybe I did know but there was no way in the universe I was even going to even think it out loud.

Aaliyah was my friend. And I was going to miss my friend. I had to get my friend snuggles in now because who knows when I'd get friend snuggles again. That's why I kept her so long. That was it. That was it.

But eventually all good things have to come to an end and she decided to get up and make food after I'd held her for about an hour. And when she came back with burritos and passed them out she sat in Donnie's lap again where she stayed until later that night when it was finally time to start getting ready to leave. Donnie let me help her pack, which I was so grateful for you don't even know. I teased her about her underpants and kept dropping random stuff in her bag that she didn't need so I could make her laugh and roll her eyes at me. I don't remember what stupid jokes I told her. Only that I made her laugh and when it was finally time for the two of them to leave she kissed my cheek and my forehead and she gave me the biggest hug.

"Thanks Mike." She murmured quietly so nobody else could hear, "Take care of them. Raph is gonna need some time to get this all figured out and Donnie's gonna need you. I know you can keep everyone together. Love you. I'm gonna miss you so much."

And then I bawled again.

I bawled all the way through everyone else's goodbyes and I didn't stop until we all watched their boat pull away an hour later. Honestly, neither did Donnie but Raph just kinda teared up a little.

And then we walked home. No running. No chasing. No patrol. We walked home. And we went to bed.

I don't think I'll be able to forget the sound of Donnie quietly crying through the night or the look of such deep pain on his face, lit up eerily in the dark from the small wrist hologram that showed their little blinking map dot sliding sleepily further and further away from home.

* * *

 **OK NOW LISTEN! This whole 'Mikey's feelings' thing isn't just to make a love triangle I swear. There is no love triangle. This is here because of some really excellent comments that have been made throughout Kismet and also some personal headcanons about older versions of Michelangelo that have been fueled by some very good friends. Michelangelo loves Aaliyah, but it's a different kind of love than romantic or platonic, it's just a deep kind of love that really only he's capable of that looks a lot like loyalty and admiration and adoration all kindof squeezed together into the same very secret box that he keeps buried very deep down. This is still kindof in development for him right now at this point in his life though so he personally is a little bit confused about it but I swear on this fic that this is not going to become a love triangle. I promise. Ok? Ok. Phew! I hope you liked it! From here on through the next... mmmm... 8-12 chapters we'll be MOSTLY flip flopping between Aaliyah's POV and Leo's POV but Leo is really tricky for me so we MIGHT see some more 3rd person. Probably. Maybe? *shrug* Idk we'll see**


	7. On to Reykjavik

**THIRD PERSON POV with this one ladies and gents! Sorry for the forever long wait, I know it's been a couple of months but you know how RL goes. Big shoutout to The Silvernote, your reviews always make me smile. You're the sweetest thing. Freija84, dragonegyptianblue, Omobolasire1, Drake Rhapsody; thanks so much for your comments on the whole Mikey insecurity I was having with the last chapter. I'm so happy to be able to hear that his emotions were coming through as intended, that really did soothe my worries SO MUCH, you have no idea. ;) Also, Drake Rhapsody, no worries. I probably won't be doing an every-other-chapter thing but I'll definitely have regular checks in with Donnie, Mikey, and Raph to see how being sans-Leo and sans-Aaliyah is affecting them all. Bless your hearts, um... with school and teaching and everything I can't promise I'll be super regular with this but I do promise that I'll do what I can to update as often as humanly possible with RL stuff. And RPing on Tumblr with all 4 of my RP accounts. And Skype shenanigans. _ I really probably shouldn't be filling my schedule up this much, oops.**

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"So Leo. Where to first?" Aaliyah asked casually, lounging as comfortably as possible between two boxes while the boat rocked steadily beneath them. He'd been silent and stiff ever since they boarded one full day ago and honestly she was pretty sure he was upset with her for some reason. Best to break the tension now or else it was just going to drag on for the next however long. He didn't look at her even still, though, instead focusing on sharpening his blades to a razor's edge.

"You tell me. You're the guide here."

Aaliyah turned her head to look at him fully, eyes squinting at him to try to measure his reaction. He looked like the picture of calm and collected, focused and unfazed, but there was an obvious deliberation to his movements that made him look more robotic than relaxed. "Nope, I'm not actually. I'm just the guide rope. The Five Fold Path is one you can't take alone, you need someone to bounce ideas and lessons learned off of so you can make sure you're actually learning what you think you're learning." She replied with forced casualty, shrugging at him to show she wasn't going to be any more helpful than that. "I'm just here for support and clarification. The journey is yours to make."

The quiet slide of stone over metal came to an abrupt stop, hesitation thick in the air, before the sound picked back up again moments later and he continued his work. "So I decide where to go to learn the lessons that I need and when you decide that I've learned them, then I can move on?" He laughed darkly and put aside the stone to peer down the length of his sword. "How can you tell what I have and haven't learned?"

Aaliyah returned the laughter, tone and all, with a shake of her head. "Leonardo, you Do remember that I WAS a teacher literally in my last life right? That I went to school just for that? Just to learn how to help guide people towards the knowledge I've been told that they need?"

His dark mood hiccupped, surprise sliding over his face because no, actually, he hadn't remembered. With her new role in their family as more of an encyclopedia he'd forgotten that once upon a time she'd bemoaned the fact that she no longer had a valid teaching license here in their dimension. But she'd been a teacher of **_children_** , teaching _science_ no less. This was completely different. First of all, he wasn't a child. He was far beyond the lessons he'd learned as a child... which was half of the reason he'd struck Sensei wasn't it? Frustration over being talked down to and repeating the same lessons over and over again when he was years beyond those basic teachings? So what could a child's teacher have to offer him? More frustration?

And besides that, he didn't need to know science to be able to learn compassion and humility and everything else! Wasn't there a whole clause in the Constitution of the United States separating science and religion? It was absurd. A children's science teacher trying to gauge when he'd learned Community and Courage and Selflessness. What a joke. He might as well have brought Michelangelo along. At least Mikey could fight alongside him. Aaliyah couldn't even do that.

"But you still get to decide when I can and can't go home."

Leonardo's dark tone spoke volumes about how he was feeling and Aaliyah sat up from her place, head cocked to the side in both curiosity and confusion. "Nnnnno?" For the second time, Leo's foul mood was broken by surprise, a slip that his companion jumped on immediately. "You could go home right now if you wanted, Leo. I'm not going to grab your legs and stop you from going home. It would be a long swim but you could do it if that's what you decided you were going to do."

He blinked, eyes pulled to the small porthole that shone brightly in the darkness of the hull. "But... Father... He'd..."

She nodded at him and leaned forward to place her elbows onto her knees. "Exactly. Your family is expecting you to travel the Five Fold Path and come home having learned Courage, Compassion, Selflessness, Humility, and Community. You could choose to not travel that path. That's a decision you could make. But I'm assuming the consequences that would follow are... less than desirable. So Leo... you tell me then. What's my job here?"

He sighed deeply, turning introspective for a minute before answering tersely. "To advise, and guide. Like Sensei has done for us our whole lives. You're going to give suggestions, and it's my choice whether or not I follow them. You'll give your opinion as to whether or not you feel I've learned what I needed to learn and I can choose to either accept or reject that opinion."

She grinned widely, positively thrilled that he was already falling for the oldest teacher tricks in the book. Asking the students their own question after a little bit of careful guiding. "Exactly. Now... can you tell me why that's important? Why the ancients have passed down the adage that The Five Fold Path shouldn't be traveled alone?"

Leonardo dropped his eyes down to the floor, absently sheathing his katana for now. There had been so much bitterness in Donatello's goodbye, and Mikey had cried over him leaving just as much as her. Raphael had practically shoved him out the door but he'd hugged Aaliyah right up off of the floor. Sensei's worried frown over his son had broken into a soft smile after she'd kissed his whiskery forehead, even, and a very loud voice in his head hadn't wanted her to come along with him. A large part of him still didn't want her here, honestly, even though she was a kindred spirit that had saved them a lot of time and trouble in the past... how long had it been anyways? Six months? Seven months? However long it had been, she'd been nothing but good to them and he still didn't want her here. Neither did anyone else. So why the shell Was it a good thing she was here? Wouldn't it be better for him to be able to travel at his own pace? He'd have to go slower because she couldn't keep up with him... probably complain the whole time too.

"I don't know."

"You don't know or you don't want to think about it?"

"I just don't know, ok?"

"Hmm."

His eyes snapped to hers at the sound of her interested hum, hating the way she made it sound. It was judgemental and irritating and condescending even though that wasn't exactly the way she'd meant it. Those were the emotions that he latched onto replied to with a scowl. And then, icing on the cake, she shrugged her shoulders and got comfortable again with a nonchalant "If you say so, Raphael."

Raphael, seriously? HE wasn't acting like RAPH. Raphael had his brains in his biceps and was more like a bull than a turtle which clearly had zero reflection on Leonardo even now while he was fuming. How dare she make that comparison. Did Sensei really just assign him to a full year of being judged like this just because he lost his temper once? While Raphael lost his at least twice each and every week of the year without fail? Why wasn't Raphael here? HE would be a FAR better travelling companion if Leonardo was going to endure a year of hell. At least Raphael would get all of their inside jokes from their childhood, something she could never do.

Aaliyah, on the other hand, simply sighed while Leonardo fumed for the next several hours. She'd hoped that by commenting that he was acting like Raphael, hiding his feeling beneath anger because anger was easier to fall back on than what he was really feeling, he might turn introspective again and figure out the answer to the question. But, maybe, it was still a bit too soon. His own wounds still too fresh, heart still a little bit too raw from being essentially kicked out of the house until he'd learned his lesson(s). And that was a feeling she could empathize with.

They didn't speak until nightfall when they each pulled some granola from their packs to nibble on, Leonardo finally calm enough and his swords finally sharp enough for him to think back to what she'd said in the beginning. It felt odd to break the silence that was starting to eat at him since Aaliyah seemed to be enjoying it, but curiosity got the better of him and he cleared his throat a little bit to shatter the wall that had gone up between them. The one he had built.

"Aaliyah."

"Mm?"

"Could we go to Japan?"

She didn't answer him immediately, only looked him over thoughtfully until she'd finished chewing her dry meal. "The Five Fold Path begins with Courage. Do you think you would learn Courage going to a place you've always wanted to go?"

He sighed heavily, afraid that she would say no. But since she hadn't said it directly, he said it for her with eyes averted. "No. There's nothing hard about going someplace you've dreamed about your whole life."

She nodded at his answer, glad to see that he was done fuming for a minute and was back to being rational. For now. "There's no reason why you can't travel part of the Five Fold Path in Japan, but you're right. Courage is about doing something that scares you even though it's dangerous and you don't want to do it."

The smallest of smiles tugged at the corner of his mouth, unable to stop himself from asking, "Does leaving home count?"

Eyes crinkling almost up to her eyelashes, the answer was turned back to him. "Is it courageous to follow your Sensei's directions when he asks you to do something hard?"

In a flash the smile was banished from Leonardo's face and he stiffened indignantly at the thought that she might be suggesting that this wasn't extremely hard for him to do. Leave his brothers, his father, the only city he'd ever known, the people he'd protected for as long as he could and the fight that he'd been battling for years now! All of that was incredibly hard! "Yes! Of course it is!"

Warm eyes egged him on, the knowing look that was so familiar feeling like it was laughing at him and everything he was feeling. "Why? Tell me about it."

Leo lurched to his feet and threw down his granola, pacing the small improvised hall that had been left between crates for a forklift to be able to slide into. "What ISN'T courageous about it? I've left behind everything I've ever known, I've never been on my own for more than a couple of days! I've left my family, I have no map, no direction, no idea of what I'm supposed to do other than learn! And somehow I'm supposed to travel the whole world and not come back until I've learned what I'm supposed to? What if I never learn it? What if I go home and Sensei decides that I didn't do a good enough job? What if he sends me away again?"

Aaliyah nodded her head, having enough wherewithal to look very serious about all of his worries, but not quite enough to be convinced. "Yes that's all very hard, Leonardo, it's scary for any young adult to leave home. It was scary when I did it, when I left home to go to college in a new state, and every young person leaving home for the first time is always worried that they won't make it on their own."

A loud scoff barked through the small space, her sympathy met with a sneer. "I'm older than you are, stop talking about me like I'm a child."

Her sympathy turned bemused, Aaliyah replying with a cock of one eyebrow, "Check and _mate_ , son, you're only 22 and I'm 25. You could be my baby brother if I had one."

A growl was his only response and rather than turn heel and continue his pacing he simply continued walking in order to take a lap around the freighter. Aaliyah rolled her eyes at him again and nibbled through a little bit more granola before deciding that she couldn't really stomach any more and put it away. There wasn't any light to read by and she couldn't really risk pulling out a flashlight in case a night watchman came by on a patrol. And not knowing how long fussypants was going to be gone, it seemed like the best thing to do was hide and snuggle between a couple of crates to see if maybe she could trick her mind into thinking the ship wasn't moving, desperate for some sleep after the sleepless one spent saying goodbye just prior to their departure. The rocking of the ship, however, felt too much like the rocking of Michelangelo's tearful hug goodbye for her mind to quiet enough.

It took a full hour for Leonardo to return to his spilled dinner, sitting silent and alone on the crate where he'd left it. The ship was closed, there was nowhere for Aaliyah to have gone, but coming back to an abandoned pack felt more painfully lonely than he'd felt in a very long time. He only had one friend left now and he was already pushing her away. There was anger and frustration that she would leave him so easily, first, but even the ire that he'd been falling back on wasn't quite hot enough, or strong enough, to fully hide the sting of disappointment. At her for leaving... and at himself for driving her there.

Worry started to bubble up that perhaps she'd been found, what if she'd been captured? Taken? Thrown in some closet-made-prison for the time being? Silently he leapt to the top of the crate she'd been sitting on to look for clues and immediately spotted a dark lump on the other side. One deep breath was all that was required to confirm that, in fact, she hadn't gone anywhere except out of sight. And a mixture of relief and deeper frustration crashed down over him. Was he really that desperate? And why did she hide from him? He didn't do anything worth hiding from! In fact he'd gone on a walk so that he could AVOID doing something that she would walk away from! So why … I mean yeah maybe she was sleeping but that wasn't the point!

Aaliyah's eyes opened to the sight of Leo standing over her, scowling, and her expression pinched in confusion. "What? What did I do now? You said we needed to be careful we didn't get caught so I'm being careful about not being caught. Why are you giving me that face?"

His scowl only deepened and he huffed his annoyance at her, turning on his heel to retrieve his spilled granola and hide his pack that she'd left out in the open for anyone to find. Aaliyah simply rolled her eyes at his drama and went back to trying to sleep. There was no use in letting her own mood sour just because he was being fussy. But it was still a little bit troubling that he was being so prickly when honestly she hadn't really done anything. Or that they still hadn't picked out a direction that they were going to be heading for once they made port. And without a direction to be heading in they might as well be lost at sea. Not a good position to be in.

Leo was proving to be a tough travel companion at this rate but hopefully a little patience would get them farther than letting her annoyance with him show. So despite her own inability to sleep on the rocking ship she didn't bother him for the rest of that night, letting him catch as much as he needed while she tried to figure out how to work around his Raphael-like tendencies. Plans that were all tried and proven to be less than effective, unfortunately. Days three and four weren't much more productive than one or two with Leo being as stubborn as he was. However day five finally brought them around to the idea of where they were going to be headed once they made port the next day.

"Courage is the first thing we're supposed to study on the Five Fold Path. And since courage means doing something in spite of fear, it seems to stand to reason that going somewhere you're afraid to go would be a good place to start." For the fourth time now they were starting this conversation, and for the third time Aaliyah was preparing to be shut down. But this time he only sighed heavily and dropped his head into his hands. He stayed that way for a long moment, unmoving on top of his crate, before sighing again and grumbling.

"North. I guess we'll go north. We never did really well with the cold and going someplace where it's hard to find things to eat never made any sense to me. I never wanted to find out how people like the Eskimos or the Russians who live in Siberia did it because it seemed too insane to even learn about. So I guess if there was anywhere in the world that would embody that sense of courage it would be going north."

Aaliyah wanted to argue because, honestly, she wasn't especially keen on heading to a frozen tundra either but this wasn't her journey. This was Leonardo's. And if he needed to head up to where it was an icy wasteland in order to learn about courage then she'd just have to deal with it. "Alright. Sounds fair enough. We'll need supplies then. Probably have to barter the further north we go. Start with some good jackets and trade up as we go further north. I had Donnie pull some of the money he's been investing since that carnival showdown with Nano so we should be ok to start with but if this is going to have to last us for an unknown amount of time then we'll have to be careful with it."

Leo nodded, looking away, and internally Aaliyah rolled her eyes at him. She wasn't sure WHY this had been such a big deal that it needed to take so long and so much pushing for him to decide but honestly now that it was done the whole conversation had taken maybe two minutes. And was definitely not worth the four days of aggravation it had taken to get there. But now that it was done and decided she was perfectly content for him to be as dark and broody as he pleased because now they had a plan at least.

Leonardo on the other hand could barely understand why she was so insistent that they have some predetermined location in mind. After all if this journey was supposed to be his to take then why did he need to discuss it with her. Was she really expecting him to do all of his thinking out loud? Because if he did then she didn't really know him. He almost never did his thinking out loud unless he was doing it purposely for Donatello. Sometimes Don needed more of an explanation for why he being asked to do something so giving the reasoning behind it helped him to be able to anticipate problems or needs that might crop up.

She, however, was just an emotional guide. She didn't need to anticipate problems or needs at all. In his mind it was pretty clear she was just doing it because she didn't think he'd actually decided on a place to go to learn courage. Well the joke was on her and her lack of faith in him because now they were headed up to the icy world north and she was just going to have to deal with it.

Though to be honest he hadn't quite anticipated "dealing with it" to include being perfectly content to ignore him for the next two days. I mean he wasn't exactly going out of his way to talk to her or spend time with her but she could have at least pouted a little bit when he was ignoring her in favor of meditation. She didn't have to look so damn happy about him keeping to himself.

It was this annoyance, bordering on real hurt, that they finally disembarked with in the Waalhaven district of Rotterdam. Aaliyah was at least better than Casey at sneaking around and they made it out of sight without issue despite ho everything was there. Long stretches of roads and grass felt like miles to sneak and dart through before they could finally make it to the nearby industrial park sitting on streets that had unpronounceable names until they could find a safe rooftop to set their packs down on. Then, without a backward glance, Leo disappeared.

Vanished.

At first Aaliyah thought it was a joke but seeing him several blocks down leaping from one roof to another she scoffed in true offense and gaped at his retreating form. Not one word had come from his mouth as to where he was going or when he'd be back or what he was doing and honestly she was a little bit peeved at him for just running off like that. A frustration that was vented after a good 15 laps around the rooftop and some colorful language that she was all too happy to throw in his direction. But no matter how many times she swore about him it was apparent that he was on a mission of some sort and to leave their things alone was just as stupid as trying to inconspicuously take them with her.

So with nothing better to do, and the world no longer rocking beneath her feet, she laid down on top of their bags and fell asleep. She hadn't been able to do more than nap for six days, her own inability to sleep on anything moving finally catching up to her and she passed out for that entire night and well into the next day.

Only to be rudely awakened by Leonardo shaking her roughly and pulling on her hand. "Come on, there's a freighter headed to Iceland that's departing in a few hours. We need to move now! Come on!"

Aaliyah fussed and flailed a little bit but didn't argue as she slapped her pack on and blearily followed Leonardo back towards the docks. They made it about halfway there before her brain finally kicked into gear and she harshly whispered at him, "Leo, are you sure you want to take THIS freighter to Iceland?"

His reply was to shush her and keep moving, but she wouldn't be ignored by him now. "No, Leonardo, think about it. We aren't ready yet! We don't have supplies, we don't have coats, we need to restock on food. If we take the very first boat out of here we'll be arriving in Iceland completely unprepared. We aren't ready yet!"

Her logic only grated on his nerves and pushed him to move faster, forcing her to run with her pack to keep her from arguing further. Unfortunately for him, Aaliyah was a little too stubborn for that to work. "LEO are you listening?"

"The next ship out is in a week. We'll be stuck here for a full seven days before the next one heads out."

"There are other places to go that are North, Leo! There's Sweden! Norway! Finland! Hell even _Russia_ if you wanted! We don't have to do this today! IT'S DAYLIGHT OUT HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND?" Her argument might have been more effective if she wasn't huffing and chasing him but as it was he only ran faster to get out of sight, leaving her behind. They barely made it on board after nearly being caught several times, Leonardo not exactly exercising his ninja training as he effectively dragged her along. But once they were on board and the ship was moving, everything having calmed down and the cargo bay lights dimmed, the blue banded turtle snapped his gaze to Aaliyah harshly and put himself right in her face to make sure she fully understood him.

"You may be here because Sensei sent you along with me but this is MY journey to take and I'M going to take it however I decide is best. I'm the ninja here. I'm the one on the Five Fold Path. I'm the leader. You're just a piggyback. Your opinion is just that, an opinion, and the only one that matters now is Mine."

The deadly silence that stretched on between them was unbroken by even a single blink for several long moments, finally ending when Aaliyah's fists unclenched and the urge to slap him across the face had waned just enough for her to speak. And when she did it was just as sharp and just as cutting.

"Well then, if that's how you truly feel, it looks to me like you're going to be on the Five Fold Path for a Very, very long time." Her narrowed eyes didn't leave his until she turned on her heel, Aaliyah deciding that maybe a different approach was going to be needed if she was ever going to be able to get through his thick, stubborn head.

" _Let's hope that you don't end up dying before you finally find your way again, **Leonardo**._ "


	8. Leonardo's Courage

**Hey everybody! Sorry for the long wait, you know how it goes. BUT! Exciting news! I'm participating in NaNoWriMo this year and I'm using THIS STORY as my NaNoWriMo novel! So you should expect at least a few updates this month while I work very hard to meet that 50,000 word goal. If the last book's 111,000 word mark is any indication of how long this one will be then I can't give you any guarantees that this story will be even close to completion at that point but hey! that still gives you guys at least a couple more chapters this month so that's definitely a bonus right? Anyways, I've got some big plans in the works for asshat Leo here and his side-kick critic Aaliyah so stay tuned ladies and gents! Thanks to SuperNovaWolf, Drake Rhapsody, Beeder, and Omobolasire1 for your reviews and I definitely agree with all of you. Leo needs to wake up and smell the reality of the situation!**

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They didn't speak once during the two and a half day journey it took to get to Iceland. Leonardo really thought that the point he'd made about this being his journey to take had been a fair, honest one. But if the childish silent treatment Leo received afterwards was any indication of how his point had been taken then apparently Aaliyah had thought she'd be the one in charge, something that was good to clear up now before it became an even bigger problem later down the road.

If she wanted to act like she was five and give him the silent treatment then fine. Two could play that game and Leo was sure he would win too.

They disembarked in the dead of night after the ship was docked in the Port of Reykjavik, Leonardo taking note of all of the whale watching vessels that were in port as well as taking note of the temperature here. It was warmer than he had expected, much warmer, even though it was well into autumn. And this was ICEland.

Final note as he was peering around with a highly disinterested Aaliyah in tow?

FLAT.

Everything here was flat.

No high rises, no multi story buildings. Heck even the houses were all single story, small, quaint, and low to the ground which made the task of finding shelter so much impossibly harder than he had anticipated. He'd only been to a few places in his life so far, and those places had either been an urban jungle, a literal jungle, or heavily wooded forest. All of which had dozens of excellent places to hide literally anywhere you looked.

This was practically a desert. A very green desert with nowhere to hide, at least on their side of the bay. There was an island across the way that seemed to have some kind of large hill / small mountain on it but here on the mainland there was nothing. Sure he had a trench coat for now but there were only a few hours before dawn and they needed a place to go before daylight struck. Looking over his shoulder at Aaliyah she merely met his gaze with one that mildly stunk of 'I told you so' and amusement at his predicament, not exactly what he was hoping to be reminded of as they ducked to avoid a passing seaman.

Peeved, Leonardo picked a direction and started walking. They had to find shelter before dawn and they needed a plan. Food would be nice as well but for now some kind of hiding spot was the main priority. So first they followed the coast and headed north on a street he couldn't pronounce, feeling very out of place and uncomfortable with being out in the open. It seemed to stretch on for miles and after 30 minutes of brisk walking the houses were only becoming flatter and the number of viable hiding places were dwindling rapidly. He didn't bother to check behind him, he could hear Aaliyah's footfalls and knowing the expression he was going to see if he looked was not going to improve his mood at all he simply turned at a wide open field that was unfortunately both elevated and also very sparsely populated with scraggly shrubs and gangly half bushes in varieties he'd never seen before.

By the time they made it to the middle of the park Leonardo was just barely high enough to see water. Everywhere there was water. Ocean in all directions except for one... which was back they way they came. Apparently they were standing on a peninsula, one that Leonardo had led them to in his haste to make a decision and find shelter. If Donnie was here he would have been able to use his GPS to point them in a more successful direction at least...

Leonardo shook his head to clear out the dark thoughts that were starting to creep in, whispering with their cold claws tightening around his chest that he was already proving exactly why Father had sent him away, proving that alone he was a terrible leader, showing himself and showing his tag-along that he didn't know what he was doing... And so Leo started walking. Taking the opposite coastline than he had come in on the two of them plodded along through open back yards and picked their way through the rocky shore for well over an hour, possibly two before hope started to rise along with the sun.

There was an airport. And on the other side there were trees. Trees they could at least stash their things in and maybe catch a couple of hours worth of sleep in before they needed to hunt for food. It was a long dash through the airfield that was protected only by a short chain-link fence they both could easily climb and/or leap over, one that started with the feeling that they might not make it to the forest before the sun rose over the horizon but two runways, another partially wooded chain link fence, a road, a parking lot, and a small field later they finally made it.

Aaliyah was out of breath by the time they finally were in the woods enough to take a break from jogging with their packs, needing to lean against a tree to be able to support herself while she wheezed. It was a little bit infuriating that she was so winded while Leo was perfectly capable of continuing on, even though he was well aware of the fact that he had years of training and running rooftops under his belt while she didn't.

It was a good thing she had him around because otherwise she'd never make it out here on her own.

While Aaliyah took some time to catch her breath Leonardo dropped his pack and took off towards a dome he'd seen peeking over the tree line, glinting in the moonlight. He needed to know if the building could see them or if it was going to be a potential hazard for them. Streaking through the dark cool of the early morning was invigorating, heart pounding, feet racing, blood pumping, clearing out the last of the dark creeping thoughts now that he'd finally been able to lead the two of them to safety in a foreign land without a map. Without Donnie. Without Raph's sass or Mikey's distractions. He'd done it.

They were probably so lost without him at home.

And here he was pulling through as a good leader in a tough spot, having the courage to keep going even though he could have quit when he'd realized that he'd been leading Aaliyah the wrong way. This Five Fold Path business wasn't going to be so bad after all, maybe he already had the qualities inside of him. He just needed opportunities to prove it!

And as luck would have it, once he broke into the weird dome that was sitting inexplicably on top of what looked like five short silos it turned out that this was a restaurant. He didn't steal a lot, just enough of some staples to last him and Aaliyah a couple more days until they could catch another ship out of here so they could continue on the Five Fold Path.

Pffffft. Hope you don't die before you find your way again. Yeah. Right. Not only was he going to complete the Five Fold Path in record time but he was also going to keep them both well fed and safe while he did so. He'd just proved that he would.

However when he returned to the place he'd left Aaliyah, triumphant and bearing gifts of his benevolence and skills as a leader, he was shocked to find that she wasn't there anymore... and neither were their things.

Looking around in a slight panic he scoured the ground for clues. There were footprints, yes, but more importantly he found a small trio of three sticks pointing almost right back the way he'd come from but just a few degrees north of it. He scattered the sticks so the trail couldn't be followed and cautiously worked his way through the undergrowth, mindful of the possibility that this could be a trap. Tiptoeing through the brush he followed the smell of burning pine to find Aaliyah seated between two small makeshift tarp tents, placing some small dry tinders on a little fire no bigger than maybe the height of one of her shoes.

And for some reason that sight took him back, making him pause out of sight to look at the little domestic scene. He could see his pack inside one of the makeshift tents and hers in the other, her sleeping bag already rolled out. And in the light of this little fire he could really see how bone tired she was, the memory from what felt like years ago of her mentioning to him on one of her first nights in their home that she could sleep anywhere so long as it wasn't moving finally clicking into place. She looked like she hadn't slept at all on either of the ships since they'd left home and yet here she was, moving their things on her own to a denser part of the forest, making them both tents to keep their things safe and dry, and also making a small, responsibly sized fire out of wood that was producing hardly any smoke. All on her own.

And a small, niggling thought in the back of his mind whispered that maybe she didn't need him like he thought she did.

Which was ridiculous, of course, and he brushed it aside just as he stepped through the foliage into the small campsite, a little bit of meat and some dry provisions in his arms to share. Though honestly now seeing what she'd been busy with while he'd been gone it felt less like a gift and more like just pulling his share of the weight it was still an accomplishment and he wasn't going to let her take that away from him.

Oddly enough it didn't really seem to help anything though and even days later when he'd managed to catch a couple of fish all by himself (which turned out to be a little bit harder than television, Raph, and Donnie made it seem) she still hadn't spoken a word to him. She hadn't even tried. She just gave him these looks that were both curious and disappointed at the same time and finally he just couldn't take it anymore.

"I'm going North." He announced over yet another dinner of eggs and fish. She looked up at him with a neutral expression, Leo almost surprised that he didn't see more humor in them over the way his voice sounded after being unused for so many days in a row. Rough and cracked, he had to clear his throat to get it to even out. And even then the words hurt his throat, like they were too much too soon, forced out when they didn't want to be. "I'll be gone a few days. Donnie told us a lot about whales when we were kids, I always wanted to see some. I heard a whaling group talking about a family of them they saw headed north. Fin whales, pretty rare. It's a big research boat that's going so I should be ok to stow away. And you should be ok here, we've got enough food to last you that long until I get back."

He didn't bother with waiting for an answer, and he didn't receive one either. He couldn't have any idea of what it was that she was waiting for before she would start talking to him again. If it was an apology then she was going to be doing a whole lot more waiting because this turtle had nothing to be sorry for. She just needed to get over the fact that he was right and maybe a few days without him would help her see that.

Maybe.

The trip there was easy enough to manage, the researchers were busy people but they didn't have a single care about their surroundings. They were so focused on what they were doing they didn't notice a skilled ninja such as he sneaking around on board.

One thing he hadn't planned on, though, was just how cold it got. Iceland was warm and he still couldn't figure out why but out in the ocean it seemed like every hour they travelled it dropped about ten degrees in temperature. His shoes kept his feet from freezing right to the deck but they certainly weren't snow boots by any means. It probably would have been smarter to figure out a way to get boots but since he hadn't been planning on staying it hadn't seemed necessary.

Besides, pain is only in the mind. This would be a good exercise to practice that teaching.

As soon as they got close to the place where they would be weighing anchor Leo hopped off of the boat and slid to the other side of the iceberg. They wouldn't be leaving for a few days so he would have plenty of time to locate the whales on his own without risking being seen, or so he thought. So he set off on the ice, keeping close to the ocean where the whales would be so he could catch a glimpse of them. And after several hours and very quickly learning how to tell whether or not the ice was thick enough to walk on safely he did finally see them! A mother and calf, though honestly he never could understand why they would use the same name for baby whales and baby cows.

It didn't really matter what it was called, honestly, because seeing them was just majestic. He dashed across the ice to follow them, feet pounding to keep up, eager to keep the two of them in his sights for as long as he could. This was likely the only opportunity in his lifetime he would get to be able to see anything like this and he wasn't about to squander it. Not when he'd traveled so far from home, courageously come up so far north despite the dangers, and snuck his way up to this icy waste to begin with. No this was a moment he was going to remember for the rest of his life and it wasn't going to be tainted by anything.

The icy wind whipped past his face in sheets, stinging his eyes as he flew. For a long time the mother and calf simply wandered along the ice shelf, pushing through the floating bits of sea ice with careless ease. Their great blasts of breath echoed over the empty expanse and it was startling to be able to hear just exactly how immense they both were by that sound alone. After a while though the mother and calf dipped below the surface and disappeared, leaving Leonardo listening carefully for them so he could pick up the trail once more.

What he heard instead, though, was the sound of a ship's horn and he whipped around to see if he could find the source of it. Expecting to find the research vessel he originally stowed away on he was surprised to see a different ship he didn't recognize. One that was far away but definitely different. Another sprint eventually brought him close enough that he could spot harpoons on the deck of the ship, a lance of protective fear jolting his senses into high gear.

This was a whaling ship.

And it was now his job to make sure it went home empty handed.

It was tedious work remaining hidden in a blanket of white when he was seemingly the only thing living out here and the only cover was provided by the spikes of ice reaching heavenward that lined the edge of the ice sheet here. However, no matter how the freezing hour dragged on he kept his eyes and ears attuned for the right moment to spring into action.

A blast of air sounded off to his left, a smaller one sounding much farther away and from what he could tell it was only a small patch of ice that had a hole in it farther away from the edge of the ice than the mother was. There were loud shouts from the whaling vessel that heralded the possible doom of the mother had he not been here to intervene and though it was risky Leonardo crouched low and at the ready. The whaling ship was chasing the mother into an inlet in the ice, luckily for Leo, as it provided the perfect opportunity to make his move. He waited until he heard the order to fire before leaping from his hiding place, unsheathing his katana in a powerful swipe that deflected the harpoon spear off into the iceberg he had just been hiding behind. The mother's blast of air from her blowhole covered the sound of his feet landing on her back just long enough to leap to a chunk of ice and use it as a final launching pad to land safely on the other side of the inlet.

Skidding to a stop, weapons drawn menacingly, he shouted at the whalers with enough fire in his voice to melt his way through the ice. "How could you!? Take a good look at what you nearly destroyed! Look closely!"

Most of the sailors on deck were gawking at him but a few did look ahead curiously off the bow of the boat to see what he was talking about. What this strange creature could possibly be so furious about. And when the mother whale surfaced again they quickly found out, her puff of breath followed by a much smaller puff of breath from her calf. The ones who had looked shouted at their fellow whalers in a language Leonardo didn't understand though it did get them looking at the pair of whales as they slid beneath the waves to get to safer waters. One of the sailors shouted back at him in broken English heavy with northern accent, "Oí there! What sorta are yeh?"

Leonardo sheathed his katanas and turned away from the vessel, disgusted that they would even consider hunting whales and endangering something so rare and precious. They didn't deserve his time after nearly killing a mother, nearly orphaning such a beautiful creature, possibly dooming it to death as well. And for what? Meat? It was disgusting.

One small benefit that came from this however was the next couple of days while the research vessel was up north, Leonardo needing to get a little bit creative in order to sneak on board with the ship weighing anchor away from the solid ice, was that the whales seemed to remember him and swam nearby the edge of the ice while he followed them, slowing down occasionally and even stopping to wait for him while he found a way to the other side of a tall iceberg or channel in the ice. It was incredible, really, and Leonardo was feeling energized and rather pleased with himself by the time he made it back to the mainland.

Aaliyah wasn't waiting for him when he got there, however. Their tents were there and after a bit of searching he found their packs up a tree and hidden from immediate view, but Aaliyah was nowhere in sight. She didn't return until nightfall either, Leonardo crossing his arms impatiently at her and tapping his foot like a disappointed parent when she entered the campsite.

"And just where have you been?" Leo asked, tone firm, and he received a raised eyebrow in response as if she was asking him 'really? You're going to use that tone of voice with me?'

Leo sighed after a long moment of considering how he should address the fact that she was clearly still giving him the silent treatment but with no real complaints he could voice or any real reasons for why she should talk to him he decided to leave it alone. This could work for now, annoying as it was. "We're moving on. I have shown that I understand the value of Courage so we can move on. There's a ship headed to England tomorrow at midnight and we're going to be on it. So this will be our last night here."

It was impressive, actually, the range of emotions and thoughts Aaliyah could communicate with only her expressions. First her eyes narrowed, head turning just slightly to one side as if skeptical that she'd heard him correctly. Then, once she'd had a moment to process what it was he was saying, her eyes found their way back to his with her eyebrows raised and pulled together. Asking him if he was really sure that he was ready to move on.

"Look. I came here, first of all, I left home and I came here. Up north, where no turtle should ever come if he wants to survive. I mean yeah it turns out that Iceland isn't as icy or frigid as I'd thought it was going to be but bad things don't have to happen as a consequence of being courageous." He replied to her doubtful expression, shifting on his feet to defend himself and his decision. Which, by the way, was ridiculous. He shouldn't have to defend himself like this but Aaliyah didn't look convinced. So he pressed forward, starting to pace a little bit.

"Second of all, I then went even FARTHER north AND… I saved a whale and her baby. I left the boat and I followed the whales on the ice and it was a good thing that I did too because there was a whaling ship that was going to kill the mother and I saved her. That's right, I was courageous and I saved her AND her baby who would have probably died without her. So because I've showed that I understand courage it's time for us to keep traveling the Five Fold Path and go on to the next virtue. Which is Compassion. Which, by the way," Leo added haughtily, "I showed compassion while doing that too. So I might even be farther along than even just Courage. I'll have this Five Fold Path done in a month tops and then we can go home."

Aaliyah was not impressed and the deadpan expression she gave him showed just exactly how unimpressed with him she was. Even more than unimpressed, actually, she almost looked incredulous that he would suggest such a thing, an emotion very clearly stated in the way her head tilted off to the side while she stared at him.

Leo just scoffed, however, and turned his shoulder to let down their things from where they had been stored up in the tree. It didn't matter if she was doubting him. He had to push forward when his brothers were doubting him too and what mattered was how He felt about his progress. That was what Sensei always asked him, if He was satisfied with his kata, if HE was satisfied with how he was progressing. Sensei never asked Raphael if Raphael was satisfied with Leonardo's progress. It wasn't his brother's place, it wasn't his business. So why should Aaliyah be any different? If he was satisfied with his understanding and demonstration of the value of Courage then that was what mattered.

And he was going to keep going, whether she thought he was ready or not.

* * *

Raphael paced around in the dojo angrily, fists flexing in his unquenchable fury… at himself. It was only days since Leo had been sent away, days since he'd been put in charge, and already Mikey was hurt. He should have done something different. He should have told Mikey to fall back. He should have been watching the east side of the ally, should have should have should have-

WHACK

He laid into the punching bag, wailing on the leather and sand until his knuckles were raw and the bag was too slick with blood and sweat to keep going. Heaving great panting breaths he cursed himself for ever thinking he could be good enough for this, good enough to lead, good enough for anything. He wasn't even good enough to be a part of this team most of the time, much less lead it. What was he thinking. He was stupid, brash, too hot headed, not enough like Leo.

He wasn't Leo.

He never would be.

So with his chest heaving, sweat dripping down the side of his face, he left the dojo to go check on Mikey. Peeking into the Needle Room he saw Donnie packing up his med kit, Mikey looking over his stitches, and so Raphael lumbered in looking low and honestly a bit depressed.

"Hey Mikey, how's the arm?"

Michelangelo shot Raph a grin that was a little bit strained but still there nonetheless. "You know Dee, he got me patched up and good to go. No biggie."

Raphael could only shake his head and he leaned against the wall. "Nah, Mike, it IS a big deal. I'm supposed to be leader and I blew it. I wasn't lookin' out like I shoulda been, like Leo woulda done, an' ya got hurt 'cause 'a it." Raphael sighed and looked up at their little brother, a dozen apologies in his eyes. "Maybe I ain't supposed to do this shit. Maybe Donnie should take over."

Mikey shuffled in place, scooting just a little closer to Raphael with a genuine smile on his face. "Nah brah, I mean you're still gettin' the hang of this leader stuff man. It could have been any of us, we just gotta get used to there only being three eyes now."

"Six." Donatello corrected, and Mikey snorted at him.

"Yeah right, that, six. So we just gotta remember that, you know? It's all good Raph. I know you didn't mean it brah. Don't beat yourself up just cause I got beat up, we don't need BOTH of us all beat up. Then Don-man's gonna have to carry us around."

Donatello's mouth quirked up in a small smile at the visual that idea painted, trying to picture himself carrying both Raphael and Michelangelo. Raphael smiled a little bit too, snorting and shaking his head. "Yeah… guess ya might have a point." Looking over at Don he hesitated, wanting to make sure that Donnie didn't blame him either. "… Dee? You could… take over. If you thought that would be better."

Don finished putting away the med kit before answering, not facing Raphael entirely but did at least turn his head to look at Raphael with both eyes instead of side eyeing him. "Mikey's right, Raph. We don't blame you for what happened. It was an accident. Just… next time… maybe listen when I suggest that we take an alternate route home."

Raphael nodded his head, eyes darting down to the ground. "Yeah, that was pretty stupid. I can do that. I mean I'll try. You know sometimes I don't always listen but I'll try."

Donatello considered Raphael's counter offer, nodding his own head in response after a moment. It was honest, at least, which you could always count on Raphael for. He was always good for his word and it was at least a step in the right direction. They couldn't expect Raph to become Leo overnight, that would be ridiculous, but they were going the right way and that counted for something. "Thanks Raph."

The red banded leader nodded and patted Mikey's shoulder, turning to head one more place tonight before he turned in.

Dad.

The old rat was tending to his little garden, addressing Raphael as his largest son approached. "What happened tonight, my son?"

Shifting and flexing his hands again, reliving the night in his mind, he decided to keep it brief. "We were patrolling in the Bronx, I saw some shit going-"

"Language, Raphael."

"Sorry… Saw something going down on our main route. Donnie said there were too many, I thought we could still take 'em. Mikey got hurt. I made a bad call. I talked to 'em about it though and they… I dunno… I think they shoulda called me out more. I think they're just bein' nice cause it's still kinda fresh with it just bein' the three of us, you know?"

Splinter listened to his son quietly, considering the delicate position his son was in and thinking carefully about how to respond. "Speaking with your brothers about your failures takes courage, Raphael, the courage to admit that you were wrong. It is not easy to put yourself in a position where your authority may come into question, especially as a leader, but I can assure you my son that your brothers are grateful for your honesty. While you may not have made a wise decision today, my son, what is most important is that you brought your brothers home alive and that you are willing to learn from this experience. And for that I would call this night a success."

Raphael thought about that for a long moment, watching his dad prune and water his little bonsai trees while his mind churned. Finally he huffed and folded his arms, looking away. "I dunno about calling it a success… but… maybe it wasn't a total wash either. I just… Dad I've got so much I don't know about with all this leader crap. What if I keep messin' up?"

"So long as you continue to learn from those mistakes and have the courage to admit when you were wrong, the courage to face your brothers with your shortcomings and speak honestly with them, then you will still be a good leader Raphael."

"… Ok… I'll… I'll try dad. Sensei. I don't like sayin' when I'm wrong or sayin' sorry or nothin' so it's gonna be hard but I'll try."

"Courage is never easy, Raphael, and often it flies in the face of what our instincts tell us to do. But it is the mark of a true ninja and a leader, my son, and I believe that so long as you remember this… you and your brothers will be a force for good under your leadership."

.

.

.

"Thanks dad. That… that really means a lot."


	9. Leonardo's Compassion

**Hey guys! Woooo update! Also I'm finally getting into Leo's headspace and writing him is getting a lot easier now that I've finally been able to figure him out a little better. And I'm really hoping you all are rolling your eyes at him several times over in each of these chapters because even as I'm writing this I'm like 'omg Leo stahp.' He's a menace. And a pain. But we love him in spite of just how big of a jerk he is sometimes. Don't worry my pretties, I have big plans for Leader-jerk-o here. And he will not be a jerk forever. He just needs SOMETHING BIG to happen for him to realize what he's actually been doing and finally pull his head out of his butt. And it's coooooooming! In like... two chapters... probably... My plan is to have one chapter per fold of the path for the first four but we'll have to see. I promise that there WILL be character development... eventually. LoL.**

 **WARNING THOUGH! This chapter does have lots of violence and blood and gore in it, with Leo kindof stepping over the line. If that bothers you then please wait until the next chapter, what happens in this chapter will be referenced by word only during the Big Thing that's coming in a couple of chapters so you will find out what happens without having to read the gorey action. Just wanted to give any of my squeamish readers a heads up, TW for blood and gore and violence and adult themes and child prostitution MENTION and slavery MENTION and …. just... all the things... This is a pretty heavy, loaded chapter here. Read at your own risk.**

* * *

The next stop was supposedly supposed to be England but by Day Three on the freighter it was pretty apparent that they were not, in fact, headed to England. After a little bit of ninja prowess and investigation it was discovered that they were actually headed to Morocco. And since Leonardo hadn't heard of much to see in Africa except for lions and cheetahs and a whole lot of other animals that he really wasn't too keen on coming face to face with... Or, you know, having Aaliyah come face to face with... They'd need a new route to take.

So while he wasn't actually too thrilled with backtracking it was better than trekking across the African Savannah or the Congo or the Sahara Desert… they needed another shipping change. So at the next port they stopped at for fuel, somewhere in Portugal. Libson or something, the location really didn't matter, all Leonardo knew or cared about was that they were off course. Aaliyah was practically delirious with sleep deprivation and exhaustion by the time they were able to get off of the boat and with her in such a useless state he just left her in a hiding spot on the docks while he found another freighter to take them back to Europe so they could continue their journey towards Japan.

The shipping manifests that were housed in the dock's main office were useless, only listing off names of unfamiliar places rather than any kind of actually useful map or log or anything he could look at and see where they were or where they were going to end up. Most of the names were in foreign languages too so that didn't help them at all, Leonardo only knew some Japanese and English, everything else was completely unknown to him. So without any real knowledge of where the several freighters were headed he took off on foot to search each ship for a map of some kind that would help him decide his next move.

He was going to have to do this the old fashioned ninja way, which was better really if he was traveling all this way to become a better ninja. Donnie would have just looked up the names, which wasn't very ninja like of him. I mean yeah it was faster but ninjutsu wasn't about just speed. It was about honor and stealth and honoring the old ways. Like Leonardo was doing right now. Oh if only Splinter could see him, he would be so proud.

Silently he slipped through the maze of shipping containers and men who were loading the containers onto the cargo ships lining the docks. He had to be careful that the crane operator didn't notice him, moving with the shadows and occasionally needing to flick a bit of asphault in the opposite direction he was moving to distract the workmen he needed to slip past. Once on board it was a maze in its own right, Leonardo needing to be even more cautious about his surroundings there while he made his way up to the bridge. The first ship he checked was headed towards Ukraine (wherever that was... east somewhere?) and that wasn't England. So it was back down he went, sneaking and slipping at a dead sprint down the full length of the enormous freighter before he could even reach the next one. Then it was the same process over again, making his way up to the captain's bridge to steal a peek at their planned route onwards.

The second ship he checked was headed across the Atlantic, back towards home. His heart pinched in his chest at the picture of New York City on the paper in his hands, a familiar port indicated there. He could go home... He could. He'd already proved to himself that he knew all about the first few virtues so really how hard could it be to prove that he understood the rest of them? He'd showed Humility by not fighting his father on this. He had a community in New York that he worked to protect, and that community was important to him. He'd showed selflessness by taking care of Aaliyah, heck he'd even left her in a safe place so she could rest while he did all the hard work of finding a new ship for them to take.

He could go home.

But he put the map back anyways.

He still wanted to go to Japan, even though it was on the opposite side of the globe. He could travel the Five Fold Path a little bit longer if it meant being able to see the birthplace of Ninjutsu, maybe even speak with one of the old masters there. Maybe they would be so impressed with him that they would let him show his Humility in making himself one of their students. There must be so much that they would know about ninjutsu!

And he couldn't pass that opportunity by. He HAD to get to Japan. Then he could go home. So onward Leonardo went. Following the same pattern he checked a third ship, needing to go through the ship to get to the main deck. This one was a little bit odd in that it seemed to have a few more armed guards wandering around but maybe this was just carrying expensive cargo. Success on this one, thankfully, as this ship was headed for Liverpool. That was somewhere in Europe so that would work just fine. Now, all Leo needed to do while he had the chance to was find a place to hide for himself and Aaliyah and then they would be set.

Navigating his way down into the underbelly of the ship where there would be more room and fewer narrow hallways and a better chance of being able to hide undetected he started checking rooms. Most seemed to be ones that housed food, which was probably not a fantastic idea since the crew would be accessing that room regularly, or rooms that were packed to the brim with supplies. Finally he checked a room that was totally dark... except that his sensitive nose picked up the smell of warm bodies in this one.

Lots of warm bodies.

And their eyes glittered in the light let in by the open door.

Leonardo panicked just a little bit until a small voice called out to him, one that sounded like it belonged to a child, "There on your right... there's the switch for the light."

He didn't move right away, afraid that if he did so then he would give himself away to a crew member. But all of the glittering eyes seemed to be low to the ground and small and if there really were children in this room then he really should probably check on them... and why were they in the dark?

So he closed the door first and then flicked the light on, every little face scrunching up in pain at the sudden illumination. It would have been the perfect opportunity to sneak away but several things kept Leonardo firmly rooted in place. First, there didn't seem to be any furniture in this room. And there were a LOT of kids in here. Children that were all dark skinned, though of various shades as such, and all sitting or laying on the bare ground. There were a few blankets spread among the children but they all looked thin and cold. Most were huddled together in little groups for either warmth or comfort or both... and there were no adults in this room.

Which meant a few things to Leonardo. People alone in the dark meant hiding. These kids didn't look well equipped for a journey, which probably meant they had been sent away quickly. And while Leonardo wasn't exactly super current on his world events it was no secret that there were many places in Africa that were in turmoil for many different reasons. So children alone, all that looked to be African... and maybe somewhere else too... Still very tan with dark hair so somewhere foreign... in origin... hiding in the dark. It all seemed to point to one very obvious conclusion for him and so he stayed. Maybe he and Aaliyah could hide here with them and keep an eye on them to make sure that they stayed safe while they escaped.

She liked children didn't she? She'd had one. She'd probably be able to take care of them for a few days.

He squatted low to the ground to make himself seem a little bit less huge and frightening, smiling for the kids that were starting to blink their eyes open at him. "Hello, I'm sorry to barge in. I didn't realize that anyone was in here."

They looked afraid at first but quickly they turned curious and some of them stood up. They looked like they were young teenagers, or at least most were, with some that were younger now that they weren't hiding their faces from the light. "You are not one of THEM" An older boy observed, and from what Leonardo could tell he seemed to be the leader. The other kids stayed behind him and didn't make any attempt to push past him. The other kids did start to murmur among themselves and he heard the word 'enugu' several times.

"Are you stowing away on this ship too?" He asked, shifting to sit on the ground.

"Are you Fudukazi?" One little one blurted out, immediately shushed by several of his older peers.

"What's Fudukazi?"

"No he is Ijapa!" Another pronounced emphatically, earning more shushes.

"What is an Ijapa?" Leo asked again for clarification, chuckling a little bit.

The leader from before explained, "They are gods of the cultures we come from. Fudukazi gave the animals their colors and Ijapa is Alabahun, a great hero who is a turtle."

Smiling in spite of himself he shook his head at them. "No, no, I'm no god. My name is Leonardo."

"I am Idris." The boy responded, a few little ones calling out their names as well and Leonardo nodded his head at each of them.

"Idris, I am on a journey around the world to try to become a better leader and a better man. I would like to stow away with you, if that would be alright." Leo explained, expecting a warm reception after all of the fuss so far. To his surprise all of the children grew quiet and looked at him with a mixture of sadness and hurt. Confused, he looked around at them and asked, "What? What's the matter?"

Idris bowed his head sadly, and the other children (Leo finally being able to see that they were mostly young boys) followed his lead. "We are prisoners, Mister Leonardo. We cannot stow away."

This clearly did not fit with his previous assumptions and he looked around again, taking in the ratty clothes that they kids wore, some of them even without pants and only a very long, old tee shirt. They were dirty and those who didn't have twisted hair or braids were visibly matted and greasy. "But you're just kids... how can you be prisoners? I don't understand."

Nobody answered for a long time, the silence hanging heavy in the pit of the cargo ship. Finally Idris took in a long, shaky breath and looked up at Leonardo with sad acceptance. "We were sold, to be slaves. We are being taken to be sold again. To adults." Leonardo blinked at the boy, an ugly inkling surfacing in his mind but he didn't want to believe it. "Do you understand, Mister? To Adults. To be used by them."

… And as much as Leonardo didn't want to believe it, there was no denying those words. Rage turned his vision red and he snarled viciously. "Over my dead body."

He leaped to his feet and threw the door open, absolutely refusing to allow this to continue and more sure of anything in his life that these men were going to pay the price of being involved in something so disgusting. His swords sang as he drew them, ringing in anticipation for the blood they were about to taste. "Follow me, I will bring you out of here. But keep a safe distance behind. These men are armed, and I won't allow them to shoot you. So please keep behind as you follow me." His tone was as cold as ice and all of the children stood up quickly, their faces showing understanding of what was about to happen when he looked over his shoulder at them. "Idris, keep them back as you follow."

The boy nodded solemnly and he took up his position at the front of the group, Leonardo silently working his way towards the stairs. He could hear the patter of little bare feet on the hard metal behind him and it fueled his fury, absolutely merciless justice coursing through his veins as he led them to safety. Up and up and up the stairs they went, a small cry from behind turning him on his heel before they were just about to make it to the deck of the ship.

"Leonardo!"

"HEY! WHAT ARE YOU KIDS DOING HERE!?"

Twisting to leap through the center of the stairwell he swung and sliced the man's gun hand clean off of his body as he landed hard on the gunman's chest and knocked him roughly to the ground. The feeling of ribs crunching beneath his feet went unheard over the sound of the man's head cracking on the cold metal floor, and Leonardo moved swiftly towards the group of wide-eyed kids staring at the pool of blood pumping from the severed wrist.

"Are you hurt?"

The little heads shook adamantly 'no' and Leonardo nodded in reply, moving past them up the stairs to the door that would lead them out onto the main deck. Passing by Idris he heard the boy instructing the older boys to shield the eyes of the younger ones as they went, that he would warn them when to cover the smaller boy's eyes. It was good, a good plan, because Leonardo was about to spill a whole lot more of red tonight.

Out the door he went, silent as a shadow in his full ninja mode. The door was unguarded but the bottom of the stairs housed a man with a machine gun. Leaping down it only took a single motion to gut him, the hired gun falling to the floor with a scream and blood spilling from his nose and mouth just as freely as his insides painted the ship's deck. Moving on without looking back at the children that were tiptoeing past the corpse he cleared the rest of the deck in minutes, his footsteps leaving a slick trail of red as he dashed down the gangplank.

By now the guard had been alerted that something was happening and they were all congregating with their guns drawn, Leonardo's lips drawn into a cruel smile at their pathetic attempt to try to save themselves from what they deserved. He was bulletproof, and they were definitely far outmatched. The children watched from behind the rails of the ship's deck as he laid waste to the entire armed guard, body parts cleanly removed from their owners with extreme prejudice.

And by the time police sirens began blaring through the maze of cargo containers the only living thing left on the platform already had his swords sheathed, splashing footsteps making their way back up the gangway towards the innocent he had avenged. A couple of the younger ones took a hesitant step backwards at the blood-soaked angel of death that was approaching, however most stood firm knowing that Leonardo wouldn't hurt them. He had just faced a small army and come out victorious in order to liberate them and they had no fear now.

"The police will be here soon, and I can't let them see me. But I can take you back home if you need me to." Leonardo said as he finally made it to where they were. They had no doubt about that, but still Idris shook his head with a smile.

"Thank you for granting us freedom, Leonardo."

"IJAPA!" A little one cried, correcting the older boy.

"But we were sold, and we have no home for you to take us back to. We will be refugees here, we will have new lives, good lives, with new families. Thanks to you." The gratefulness in all of their eyes was a memory Leonardo would never forget, and he took a moment to burn the image into his mind. These children who deserved the best and nearly had the worst handed to them. He wanted to stay but the sirens were getting louder and louder and he needed to leave. His heart still burning with anger, knowing that this was just one isolated group that he was lucky enough to find but so many more still were out there, he turned to head down the ramp.

"I wish I was Ijapa, I really do. Take care of them Idris, I'll never forget you."

"And we will never forget you, Mister Leonardo."

"BYE IJAPA!"

The call echoed in his mind as he dashed away, careful to avoid the rivers of blood running into the ocean so he didn't leave any more footprints than he already had. It was an hour later before he could make it back to Aaliyah who... once again... was not where he'd left her. It was infuriating at the very least, but he figured that while he had the chance he might as well wash himself. The blood was beginning to crust and itch and he needed to clean his swords before the iron stained.

Surprisingly, however, as he snuck his way down to the ocean at the nearby end of the dock, he found her already getting started on that same thought. She wasn't fully undressed, still wearing her underwear and her bra likely in case she was discovered by anyone while scrubbing her skin, it was still unusual to see so much of her skin.

Clearing his throat she jumped and whirled around, wide eyes and tense posture relaxing immediately at seeing who it was. Only for a moment, though, once she saw the blood she sloshed through the cold, salty water with her eyebrows knit together.

"I found children that were being sold." He explained simply, Aaliyah eyeing him through narrowed eyes before offering the bar of soap in her hands. He accepted it first and then stripped out of his gear, even bare he really didn't have much to hide. Anything that might need to be hidden was all internal, and therefore it was just out of social custom and habit that he felt a little bit sheepish at being so naked in front of her. Still, he needed to be cleaned and there was nothing to be done about that.

Stepping into the frigid water he didn't dare go past his knees out of fear that his somewhat cold-blooded biology would take over and slow him down. While he washed and scrubbed, using a little bit of sand to really work at the places where the blood had crusted and dried on his skin, he told her about everything that had happened. Finding a ship that was headed to New York and finding the children and the men that had needed to die to make this right. She listened quietly, not that he was expecting anything different, at one point gesturing for him to turn around so she could scrub the blood off of his shell. He knelt on the sand, water barely lapping at his knees while she scrubbed and poured handfuls of freezing water over his shell.

"I think this was my lesson on Compassion. Seeing those kids there, I could have just left them and moved on. But I stayed and I saved them and I had compassion for them and their situation. And because the mission was a success, because I did save them, then I successfully proved that I have the ninja value of compassion. Which means that now I just need to be able to prove that I'm selfless and humble and that I have understand community and then we can go home. I was thinking about proving my humility in Japan, see, because-"

By the time his story was told and he was clean it was now Aaliyah covered in flecks of blood from helping him, though she simply took the soap and managed her own body without his help. They traded the bar of soap back and forth to wash out their clothes, each having a single spare outfit in their packs to dress in while their first set dried. And then to Leonardo's shock, Aaliyah asked him a question.

"What about compassion for the men that were hired to protect the ship?"

Her voice croaked from disuse but she let it be, Leonardo staring at her for a long moment in confusion and Aaliyah paying him no mind while she wrung out her clothes. She hadn't spoken one word to him for almost a month now, and her first question is asking about the guilty men that were armed to keep the children from escaping the ship? Hired to make sure they made it to Liverpool so they could be sold as... as sex slaves to adults? "They got what they deserved. All of them. There isn't a single one who wasn't guilty of what was happening there. And anyone who would do that to children doesn't deserve to live. This is about more than just protecting a ship, Aaliyah, this is about using Guns to make Sure those Kids made it to Slavery. They didn't deserve one ounce of compassion."

There was a long pause, Aaliyah looking him over with a look that reminded him of the way she'd looked at him when he got back from his time with the whales. Unimpressed, disappointed, sad. And if anything that only rekindled his anger at the situation and he turned to face her fully, voice raising. "What? You think I should have let them go? Just led the kids off the ship and let those monsters live? Let them lose a single shipment so they can go on to the next job that much faster? Maybe get a slap on the wrist from their buyers? Have to go back to Africa to get new kids to take their place!? Is that what you want!?"

Aaliyah grimaced at being shouted at but kept her gaze steady, unwilling to back down from his tirade in case he misunderstood her and thought that backing away meant he was right. She didn't answer though, something that was even more infuriating after she'd shown that she was willing to if she deemed the moment right for it. "Nothing? No defense? No.. Sass? No 'oh Leo you're so stupid for being so blind to how things really are because it's not how I see it' or … Anything!? You're not going to even try!?"

She'd spoken to him! Why was she back to being tight-lipped with him? He was right! AGAIN! AND SHE WAS WRONG! Why did she react this way when she was wrong? Was it really so hard to admit that she'd been wrong? He leaned down to get right in her face, make sure she couldn't ignore him now and that she would hear every single word he said. "One of these days Aaliyah you're going to have to WAKE. UP. And realize that you're not right about everything! That you don't know everything! I know that must be SO HARD since up to now you're the one who everyone goes to for answers and everything but MAYBE sometimes you're wrong. And you need to be able to accept that. Pouting like a child isn't helping anyone, Aaliyah, and you're just hurting yourself. So fine. FINE. If you want to keep ignoring me because you can't accept that you don't always have all of the answers then FINE. Whatever."

And you know, that argument might have been a lot more effective if his stomach hadn't decided to take that opportunity to growl loudly, reminding him that they were running low on supplies.

He jerked away from her, stuffing his still-wet clothing into his bag with a loud huff of further frustration and took off. With the police swarming the area there was only one ship available for them to sneak onto and that was the ship going to Ukraine and he needed to make sure that they would still be able to get on board the ship. He may have taken a little bit longer than absolutely necessary but he needed some time to cool down after the night he'd had and the disappointment of having to take a ship that wouldn't work quite as well as the one he'd been hoping to take. It Was more east so maybe it would be fine, even if that wasn't exactly what he was hoping for. When he came back to Aaliyah he slung his bag over his shoulder and grunted at her that they needed to get going. Sneaking on board wasn't much of a struggle with all of the attention on the docks focused on the other freighter. And it wasn't until after they'd managed to hide themselves that Leonardo finally noticed a smell coming from his bag.

Aaliyah's exhausted little snores were the backdrop to which Leonardo opened his pack and peered inside, pulling out his wet clothing and digging through until he found a paper bag of something warm and greasy. Pulling out the now-soaked bag that tore in his hands as he opened it he found an assortment of unfamiliar foods, some things that looked a bit like calzones but were a little bit different and some little quiche looking pastries that smelled sweet. There were also some breads that were good save for being wet with sea water. Which was odd because he didn't remember that being in there when he pulled out his change of clothing.

… which seemed to indicate that she'd somehow managed to get food for them while he was gone checking on the Ukrainian ship. After he'd yelled at her. And even Leonardo could admit to himself that maybe he'd been a little bit harsh with her. And yet... she'd done this for him. She'd had compassion on him when maybe he didn't exactly deserve it, especially not from her. It was an unexpected gesture and he appreciated it in spite of the nagging feeling that he had that whispered to him that maybe she was trying to show him something, teach him something, in the face of his argument he'd presented earlier.

But this was totally different. Getting food for your travelling companion who was hungry even after an argument with him was VERY different from having compassion on monsters who sold children into slavery. Those were two very separate issues. And while he was starting to see that maybe she was going to be able to show him her side without saying a word... he still wasn't entirely convinced that she was right.

This was still totally different.

Right?

* * *

Aaliyah breathed in the cool, salty air as she wandered through the streets of Spain at their next stop, Leonardo staying on board while she went out to find more provisions. She'd already bought several pounds of bacalhau in Portugal so they would have protein but they needed some other things to be able to survive without malnutrition. It was so nice to be able to get out and actually see human faces again. And while her Spanish was a little bit rusty she still remembered enough to be able to get by, better in her reading abilities than her ability to properly conjugate things.

It only took a couple of hours of bartering and searching to find foods that would travel well and would be light enough to carry. However, she had an ulterior motive for wanting to get off of the ship with Leonardo stuck onboard.

Sneaking into an internet café she paid the fair for her internet usage, thanking the woman behind the counter, and she pulled up the URL that Donatello had her memorize before she left. Automatically it flashed through several screens, a small black window that began scrolling lines of code faster than she could read them popping up in the top corner. And then a small, white box. No text, simply a box and a blinking cursor. Tears welled up in her eyes in relief and she sniffed lightly, typing in 'DonAt3llO' and waiting patiently for the programming to take over from there.

More lines of code scrolled in the little black window, these ones even more complicated than the first. But after a moment that felt like 10 minutes a chat window popped up and immediately text started popping up at lightning speed.

Donatello: AALIYAH  
Donatello: Aaliyah oh my gosh is it really you?  
Donatello: Are you ok? Is Leo taking care of you? Is he there?  
Donatello: It says you're in Valencia Spain is that right?

Aa: Don

Donatello: Have you been eating? How are your vitals? Have you been experiencing any symptoms with all of the travelling? Do you have any forms of 'jetlag' or delayed sleeping cycles because of the time differences?

Aa: DON

Donatello: I'm sorry, god, I'm just so excited it's been weeks and

Aa: Donnie

Donatello: Yes

Aa: Take a deep breath for me ok

Donatello: Ok

Aa: Thanks, I only have a couple of minutes before Leo will be expecting me back so I need you to stay calm. You know I can't type as fast as you can.

Donatello: I know, I'm sorry, I just got excited. I miss you

Aa: I miss you too. And to answer your questions: Yes, Yes, Mostly, No, Yes, Yes kindof?, Fine, Yep, and ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh I think I'm still acclimating to sleeping on the go, it's been a rough couple of weeks

Donatello: Hasn't Leonardo been awaroiubfgslidyfl;ajk a;dkfj;aksj

Aa: ?

Donatello: AALIYAH HI THIS IS MIKEY OMG DONNIE DIDN'T TELL ME YOU COULD TYPE STUFF TO US

Aa: hehehehe, no Mike this is my first time, we havent been near anywhere where we could access the internet until now

Donatello: oh shit Donnie's mad, I may have sent his chair scooting across the room

Aaliyah chuckled through the pinch in her chest at how much she wanted to reach through the computer and hug him, it sounded like everything was about par for their usual antics and it was so good to hear.

Aa: Tell Donnie I want to talk to everybody so he can't be mad at you

Donatello: But Aaliyah... I wasn't.. I just...

Aa: Don. I miss you so much, but I also miss Mikey and Raph too

Donatello: Fine

Aa: oh come on don't be all passive aggressive on me honey wouldn't you be excited to talk to Leo if he was here?

Donatello: …...

Aa: the correct answer is yes, you would be

Donatello: I WANNA TALK TO LEO WHERE IS HE?

Aa: Leo had to stay on the ship because it's the middle of the day Mikey

Donatello: How is he? Is he doing his Five Fold Path stuff?

Aa: Leo's literally such an ass he can't even find where it is

Donatello: WHAT DID HE DO

Aa: So many things I don't even know where to begin. But let's just say he's not doing super duper fantastic at literally anything. If you happen to be looking at European news you might find something interesting on there about Lisbon, Portugal. It's... not pretty.

Donatello: Aaliyah has he hurt you?

Aa: no, no, he's just... … … stubborn?

Donatello: Raphael just laughed out loud, I for one am less humored.

Donatello: Ok we just pulled up Lisbon Portugal and... … oh god Aaliyah is this right? It's... they're calling it a massacre!

Aa: … … … yeah

Donatello: Aaliyah I think you need to bring Leo home. If he's... if this is what he's doing then he needs to come home now

Aa: No. I mean he's being a pain but I really think he just needs more time. I promise I've got this.

Donatello: Raphael has offered to pound him for doing this

Donatello: And he wants to know if this is something Dad should know about

Aa: No, again, He's working through some things right now. He needs more time. Dad will just worry about him even more than he already does. Dad will find out about it eventually because he always does but don't tell him just yet. Leo needs more time.

Donatello: Ok... if you're positive

Aa: I am. I haven't spoken to him for almost as long as we've been gone and I can tell it's finally Really starting to bother him. We'll get to a breaking point here pretty soon and then we'll be able to make some progress with him. But for now I have to let him flounder a bit.

Donatello: I can send you a taser for him  
Donatello: A little bit of electricity always helps me

Aa: haha, so funny. No I've got this. Thanks though hon.  
Aa: Ok... My time is about up. I've gotta go.

Donatello: NO DON'T LEAVE ME

Aa: Guys, you'll be ok and so will I. Raph, hang in there buddy. Being leader sucks sometimes but I know you can do it. Mikey, please don't let Donnie work himself to death. Donnie I love you but I know you and I'm telling you now you need to cut back on the extra hours you picked up since I've been gone

Donatello: …. But...

Aa: no

Donatello: BUT

Aa: Donnie, I miss you too but you can't lock yourself in your lab and work yourself to death. Ok? Mikey, I'm counting on you

Donatello: YOU GOT IT I MISS YOUUUUUUUUUUUU 3 3

Aa: I miss you too, all of you. Keep an eye on each other ok? I love you guys. Tell Dad we're doing ok, please?

Donatello: We will

Aa: Thanks. Love you

Donatello: I love you too

Session ended


	10. Leonardo's Selflessness

**I know you all are going to be very upset but short chapter synopsis (which makes me feel terrible after this most recent 2012 episode omg I have so many feels about that thing) would include Leo/Aaliyah cuddles, somebody gets captured and peed on, Donnie's crying, and a literal facepalm. No major Trigger Warnings for this chapter other than the mention of Leonardo getting beat up while he's unconscious but there's no major blood and guts like last chapter. _(Glad that was helpful Beeder, I recognize that everyone has their own preferences and tolerances for gore and violence so I'll be extra sure to let you know if there's going to be anything like that in the chapter.)_**

 **Also hey, I think this is the most I've ever updated in a single month so that's pretty cool! Thanks to everyone for your reviews, I really honestly do stalk my account for a couple days after I post a fic and your reviews give me life. If I was writing this just for myself I'd still be on like Chapter 7 of Book One because it's like cooking alone, you know? If there's no one there then you might as well just stuff your face with Ramen Noodles and call it good. So thank you guys for keeping me motivated to write and continue this story. I thought it was pretty silly at the time I started it and I didn't think that anyone would want to read ANOTHER tmnt OC story but with over 2000 views ( lol most of them making it to chapter 2 of Kismet before noping out, I don't blame them either. I REALLY need to redo those first couple of chapters, omg they are so rough I can't even read them myself anymore) You All have made this such a fantastic journey for me to take. Callout post to you guys for being fantastic and amazing hoomans and I love you all.**

 **So anyways, here's Wonderwall**

* * *

It took a lot longer to get to Mongolia than Leonardo was anticipating. As soon as they had landed in Odessa he found a map of the world and decided that the fastest way to get from where they were over to where he wanted to be (Japan) was to go straight East. Not exactly the fastest route, if you had to ask Aaliyah, but definitely the most direct. They were able to catch a train that crossed into Russia and then into Kazahkstan, the two of them jumping off at Anya when the train started heading more north than he would have liked, which cut a couple of weeks off of their walking time. And then it was by foot.

Miles plodded on and while they both were able to walk at a brisk pace it was hard to maintain for days on end. Mostly they followed the sun, or rather they followed their shadows to make sure they were still going east. The path for their journey was pretty easy to follow, the northern boundary of their path often bordered by large lakes. These provided plenty of water for boiling and on one occasion a sailboat with a kind old fisherman who was willing to give them a ride to the far end even though Leonardo wasn't like anything the man had seen. Actually that might have been the very reason he'd done it, it was a little bit difficult to tell with the language barrier. But three weeks later they finally arrived at the base of some low, rolling mountains that they couldn't avoid this time by just staying a little bit farther to the north.

It was nearly January by now and the snow was thick and deep. Parkas and boots kept out the cold but it really was the slogging and climbing that kept them warm enough to keep going even in the face of wind and snow. As long as you kept moving you could make it but the minute you stopped the cold started to gnaw through the thick fabric and into their bones. Leonardo expected Aaliyah to break down once it started getting cold, having mentioned dozens of times before leaving that her slender frame chilled easily and that she really hated the cold but against his best expectations she stayed stoically silent as they climbed and hiked through the mountains. Even when the nights had been bitter cold and the wind had blown out their fire and the plains offered little in the way of shelter, she hadn't opened her mouth once at him except when it seemed their lives were on the line for it.

"Unzip." She'd grumbled at him with squinted eyes and trembling limbs that were barely able to support her in the gust that blew around them, stinging her eyes even in the little bit of shelter that Leonardo provided as a windbreak.

"Excuse me?" Leonardo had to raise his voice to be heard above the sound of the wind but he could have sworn he'd heard her voice. It had happened before, though, where he'd only imagined it. Found himself asking 'what' only for Aaliyah to raise he eyebrows at him like he was insane for asking. His ears had started playing tricks on him with all of the silence that he was constantly wrapped in and by now he couldn't even trust his own ears. But this time she repeated herself, tugging at his zipper.

"Unzip. Body heat works better with fewer layers between."

He didn't really have much motivation to be indignant at the thought of cuddling her for warmth when his limbs felt numb and frozen and he wasn't as sure as he would have liked that he was doing the right thing with his 'training.' He carefully pulled the zipper of his coat down with large, clumsy fingers that protested the motion in the chill, Aaliyah doing the same only long enough to slip under his coat and press her body against his. Immediately the wave of heat that wrapped around him was so strong his entire body moved automatically to draw it in closer. Legs folding in a lotus position he navigated her legs so that her knees pressed against the underside of his shell and their torsos could share as much surface area as possible. He wasn't entirely cold blooded, no, but he wasn't warm blooded either and the terrapin part of his biology clung tightly to the small warm body like it was his only saving grace. Aaliyah adjusted her coat so that it smoothed under his as neatly as possible, essentially giving him two coats and a living heater, and that combining with his shell to the wind it was a far more pleasant night than he could have hoped it would be at sundown when the night wind had first blown out their fire.

But aside from those rare moments when it was absolutely necessary that she speak her lips were sealed. Again. And if it wasn't for just how infuriating her silence towards him was he would have been able to focus more on what she Was saying to him rather than what she wasn't.

He eventually grew accustomed to the quiet, though, learning to simultaneously pick out and tune out the regular plod of her footfalls behind him, following him around like some kind of ghost. The crunching of their feet in the snow became a familiar melody that let him know they were both moving steadily forward. Rations started to grow thin but the few words Aaliyah had been able to speak with a traveller who knew some broken English they had passed by seemed to indicate that there was a monastery up here that would be able to provide them with a little bit of food should they be able to make it there.

And so they kept going. Walking by day when the sun was just warm enough to brighten their faces and the nights were cold enough that often even with the aid of a fire they still shared the same sleeping bag for warmth, sliding one into the other to make it extra thick and almost loathe to leave in the morning when it was time to journey on.

He'd take it to his grave that Aaliyah was much softer than he'd thought she'd be, and the comforting feeling of waking with his nose buried in her neck was enough to make him both understanding and jealous of the brother he'd given such a hard time to for being stubborn about getting up for training after becoming involved with her. He never let his hands roam, of course, but he may have indulged in letting his fingertips press into her flesh while he was settling in for the night and getting comfortable. It was incredible just how easy it was to feel her bones, enough so that he started to worry a little bit about it but she always rolled her eyed and ok her head at him when he asked if she was getting enough to eat. So with that fear assuaged all that was left was her naturally slender build and just how nicely she seemed to fit against him. But he never brought it up and she… well she never brought anything up and so the entire event went simply as it was, Aaliyah merely watching him as it started to become more regular for him to pull out her sleeping bag at the same time as his and set it up how he preferred.

They followed this pattern while they continued East, searching for the monastery that would save them from starvation, until one day when a feral howling ripped through the all-encompassing silence of the snowy canyon pass. Leonardo and Aalilyah looked at each other in confusion, scanning the area around them for any signs of where the sound had come from. The noise certainly didn't decrease in volume, if anything it seemed to only grow louder and more distressed as time passed between them.

Leonardo followed the sound, the crunching of his companion's boots following him at a safe distance in case there was trouble. They had to climb higher to get to the source, doing so in as much silence as the dry crunching of the snow would afford them. But eventually they peeked over a ridge to find a scene of men all around a sturdy cage. Inside was an indescribable creature but from the howls that echoed through the mountains it was clear that it was furious with being captured.

"Aaaarooooooooooooo!"

"Ha!" The leader of the men said, strutting over with a celebratory bottle of alcohol in his hand. "Look at the mighty Yeti, finally bested by man! Take a good, long look boys! Because this baby is going to make us rich!"

The other men hooted and hollered, congratulating each other in the face of the creature's growling and snarling. The bars of the cage were too small to be able to reach through but that didn't mean it didn't try. Long, clawed fingers reached through the gaps, swiping at the men who were too close. This went unnoticed by the general group but the ring leader saw it and rushed over with a snarl of his own, the butt of his gun smashing the fingers against the metal bars. The creature howled again, this time first in pain but then with renewed fury at its attacker. The man smugly kept his face out of reach but sneered directly into the eyes of the criptid.

"You think you can get out of there? Well think again, because you'll never see anything larger than this box ever again. So you'd better make yourself cozy in there. We've got a long way to travel before we'll make it to the airport."

The animal growled at him angrily but did seem to settle down a little bit, giving the men time to get underneath the box and lift it up onto some poles for carrying. They made it only about 39 steps before the 'Yeti' went ballistic and started howling again, rocking the cage and toppling itself off of the men's shoulders. The ring leader, who Leonardo noticed hadn't been helping the other men carry it, fired his gun at the ground right next to the cage while he shouted obscenities at it.

They'd seen enough and so dropped back down, Leonardo thinking the situation over carefully. "Aaliyah."

She looked over at him, looking wind-stung and wild as the creature that was caged but with that same carefully neutral expression he'd come to associate with her 'waiting face' as he called it. Waiting for him.

"We can't just leave it, but they'll never release it unless they have something better than a Yeti."

That carefully neutral expression turned highly suspicious, eyes narrowing at him in askance of what his next move was. He didn't need to elaborate further, though, because this was His plan and he was going to do what he needed to do in order to set the Yeti free. He moved to stand up but Aaliyah caught his sleeve and yanked on him. Looking over his shoulder in annoyance he asked a harshly whispered, "What?"

"If you're going to do this then leave your gear. They might destroy it."

"And risk you dropping it down the mountain because you're carrying two? No way."

So taking his gear, his swords, and Aaliyah's disappointedly annoyed expression with him he walked purposefully towards the group. He made it quite close before he was noticed by the band, a shout rising and the gunned leader turned his shotgun on a new target. "Listen here, you aren't welcome in our camp. So get lost."

Leonardo stopped only a few feet away from the man, calmly looking past the barrel that was directed point blank into his face. He couldn't see it but he did hear the small sound of a slap coming from behind him as if Aaliyah had just smacked her forehead with her open palm. "I'm here to take the Yeti's place."

They all laughed at him, roaring even louder than the Yeti, and the smug expression on the ring leader's face was enough to make Leonardo's fingers flex with want for the feel and weight of his swords. "There ain't no man in the world worth more than this thing so how about you get lost before I blow your brains out."

Removing his hat slowly and halfway unzipping his coat, he corrected them, "I'm only half man… and half turtle. I will make you even richer than the Yeti could."

Cool, icy blue eyes stared into narrowed brown ones, the man rolling the offer in his head for only a second before taking a step forward and shoving the gun even further into Leonardo's face. "How about I take BOTH of you and I'll be TWICE as rich! Carper! Take his stuff!"

As for as much as he was bullet proof, he honestly couldn't say that he could take a shotgun to the face and survive, his stomach plummeting at the realization that he truly was powerless in this moment. Except for one small thing.

A Kunai that he'd pocketed after using it to cut through some small twigs and branches the night previous in order to make a fire to keep warm by. He'd come here to free the Yeti and he wasn't going to give in until he'd completed that mission. So when the man that was taking his pack pulled and he had to move to allow the pack to slide free of his arms all it took was a small flick of his wrist to send the knife straight into the lock of the cage, the cold metal mechanism snapping. There was a beat of silence as everyone's attention jerked to the cage and the Yeti blinked in surprise at what had happened before everything exploded into action.

The Yeti sprang free of the cage with a roar, men scrambling cowardly out of the way to avoid its fury with them at being captured but honestly the beast was only concerned with escaping. The leader yelled at the men to capture it again but in several great bounds it was already gone, leaving behind a scramble of humans and one stoic turtle. Leonardo was no idiot, after all, he knew he'd be facing the men's full wrath. At least if he didn't make any attempts to fight then they wouldn't kill him, a thought that was immediately put to the test when the leader whirled around and mashed the end of the barrel into Leo's beak.

"You idiot! Well… now I guess I'll only be rich instead of filthy rich. And you're going to pay for that! On your knees, now!"

Leonardo complied, hands held up by his shoulders, and the butt of another gun cracked against the back of his head, immediately knocking him unconscious.

* * *

Whoops and shouts of excitement echoed through the sewer tunnels, Michelangelo carefully (in his own way) skating at break-neck speeds towards home. In his hands were several boxes, each wrapped with newspaper, and he dropped into the lair with a flamboyant triple axel-type spin to scurry the boxes towards the Christmas tree. "Hey guys! I'm hoooooooooOOOOOOooooooooome!"

The boxes were carefully arranged at the bottom of the tree nearby the others, Donnie's wrapping immaculate and perfectly square as always. Raphael's presents were sans-wrapping paper but taped closed with probably six rolls of duct tape making them look both indestructible and also wrapped in their own stubborn way. Mikey's was messy but colorful, having found only the glossy pages to wrap his presents in. And Leo…

Oh.

Right.

Sensei's presents weren't under the tree, his never were, but they all knew that he was hiding them in his room. Usually wrapped in soft cloth he would bring them out and hand each boy their present, the unspoken words attached like a name tag that he had done his very best to find what he could for them, and even though Donnie could order things off of the internet now Sensei's presents were always the best ones out of everyone.

They didn't celebrate Christmas on the same day as everyone else, a tradition that had gotten started back before they could remember. It was easier for Sensei to find things for them to play with in the days after the holiday, dumpsters and trash cans filled with torn wrapping paper and unwanted toys appearing all over the city once the day had passed. They finally figured out, when they'd started to reach their preteen years, that the things Sensei would seemingly pull out of thin air on occasion had been carefully hoarded from this time of plenty to be given at a time when it was more necessary, and it became easier for them to appreciate all of the planning their dad had done to give them what he could.

They didn't need to wait until after the 24th to celebrate their own Christmas anymore but it just felt… wrong… to try to celebrate it on a different day than they had all growing up. Like it was telling Sensei that the time he'd spent digging through trash cans in their youth to find toys for them to play with wasn't necessary anymore.

And no one could find the nerve or the heart to do that to their beloved father.

So the tradition stuck.

Once Mikey's presents were done being arranged he padded off to find where the heck the rest of his family was, Donnie being easy enough to locate and Raphael was always a mystery. So to Donnie it was. Leaning on the entrance to Donatello's hermit hole Mikey watched him suffer through another miserable Tech Support phone call before bothering his big brother.

"Heya Dee."

"Do you need something Mikey?"

Yeah that didn't sting at all, but he shrugged it off knowing that Donatello was always a little bit ornery to deal with after having to help people that didn't seem to know their way out of a paper bag figure out how to make their computers work. "Just checkin' in brah, you remember what tonight is right?"

"December 31st Mike."

"Yeah, Turtle-mas. And you're holed up in here again."

"Listen Mikey I really have a lot o-"

But Michelangelo had grabbed the skateboard chair Donatello was sitting in and turned him around before he could finish, arms folded at his brother unhappily. "Don. Come on. You heard Aaliyah, it's my job to make sure that you aren't like… turning into Gollum down here. Ya gotta come up for air bro."

That didn't seem to help, however, if anything it made big brother's expression sour even further and he averted his eyes down and to the side. "Yeah. Fine. I have to finish my shift."

Spinning his chair back around to face the computer screen his fingers flew across the keyboard at lightning speed, Michelangelo picking up on the hunch to his shoulders and the increased vigor at which his brother had started working. Face scrunching in thought Mikey didn't reply right away. But when he finally did his tone was soft and low.

"It was kinda hard not to pick out a present for them this year." Donatello's fingers faltered and Mikey heard the distinctive sound of the backspace bar being tapped a few times before he could keep going, Mikey doing the same. "I was kinda thinking about getting Leo a new soapstone but I think that's what Raphie got him last year and I couldn't get him the same thing twice. Then I was thinking about like maybe making some cool new inks for his calligraphy stuff, like bright colors and things but then… I mean he can't really use them til he gets back."

"Mhm."

"Aaliyah was gonna be super easy though because I mean like… duh. I can totally tell exactly what she'd like. So I was gonna get her a big old bag of jellybeans. Like the five pound ones, you know?"

Donnie snorted and the corners of Mikey's mouth twitched up hopefully. "Jellybeans? She doesn't even like jelly beans."

"Pfff, she totally likes jellybeans."

"The last time you tried putting jelly beans on pizza she had to take them off before she could eat it."

Mikey gasped theatrically, making Donnie roll his eyes at his little brother. "Lies! Such hurtful words! I'll have you know that she loves my jellybean pizzas thank you."

"No." Donnie turned around on his own this time to see Mikey's very serious face turned into a slight pout as if he was genuinely hurt by the idea that she hadn't eaten it as was prepared. "She doesn't. Besides, jelly beans aren't a present."

"Oh yeah? Then what's a present?" Mikey challenged, folding his arms over his plastron.

"It's like this." He pulled open a drawer and shook a watch in Mikey's face, little brother snatching it out of Donnie's hand.

"Pfffffffff, you think this is better than jellybeans? This is lame."

"It ISN'T lame!" Donnie insisted, snatching it back. "This was… I made this!"

Michelangelo watched as Donnie seemed to deflate while looking at it, fingers finding all of the familiar grooves in the surface that housed hidden buttons and holographic displays carefully crafted to look sleek and unassuming to the untrained eye. Mike let Donnie hold it in silence for a moment before gently prodding, "So what's it do?"

Donnie chuckled bitterly and fingered the straps before answering. "Everything. I… I made this as an early present for her to take with her on her trip. It's solar powered and can connect to any satellite in the world, there's a laser for self defense and starting fires, holographic display for communication… There was so much I put into this. I just… I just wanted to still be connected to her while she was gone. But she said that would only make it harder. I wasn't going to contact her every day, just… just send her little messages here and there. I know it would have been tempting to try to have more than just a small text every now and again but…"

Donnie's voice cracked and he cleared his throat with a light shake of his head, Mikey's heart hurting for his brother more than it was hurting for himself though there was plenty of that too. "You know she's just… trying to do what she's supposed to. Help Leo. You saw what he did, you know she's keeping an eye on him."

The pained huff of air that made it past Donatello's self control stung at his eyes and he shifted to rest his elbows on his knees. "What if she doesn't come back, Mike? What if she gets hurt or killed or … Or Leo… If he gets hurt or hurts her or what if while they're spending so much time alone together… If she had this I could… The chances of her coming back home to me would have at least doubled. And she didn't want it. She didn't want that guarantee Mikey. And now I don't know if-"

Mikey dropped to his knees and wrapped Donnie in a bear hug, crushing his brother a little bit. And Donatello clung back, fingers catching on the edge of Mikey's shell to hold him just as tightly. There was no denying that Donatello was shaking now and while Mike couldn't tell if it was from still doing his best to keep his tears from falling or if it was from nerves he still held on regardless.

"She's coming home Don. They both are. I miss them too. I know it's scary but Leo's the best ninja there is. He's not gonna get captured or let anything bad happen to her. They're gonna be ok. Aaliyah's gonna come home and Leo's gonna come home and everything is just gonna pick up where we all left off. Leo's not gonna steal your girl and Aaliyah wouldn't play you like that. She's just doing her best."

Donatello let out a shaky breath and nodded against Mikey's shoulder, still not quite willing to let go just yet. And Michelangelo was perfectly ok with that. "This was going to be our first Christmas together."

"I know. And she's missing out on all the best stuff."

"Yeah… she is." Donatello's shaking only got worse from there but Mikey held on, knowing just as well as anyone that he would feel better after he let himself feel the full range of what he'd been fighting so hard to ignore for weeks.

* * *

"Get up, turtle freak!"

"Aahrg!"

Leonardo winced in pain as the steel toed boot from his assailant smashed into the side of his face, groaning as consciousness was making him pointedly aware of the abuse he'd suffered while he'd been out. His tongue ran around his mouth, checking for missing or broken teeth but luckily found none. Just a busted lip and the tang of blood on his tongue. Elsewhere, however, didn't feel so lucky.

"Wh-" Wheezing from the many bruises that littered his sides, he had to suck in a shaky breath before he could try forming sentences. The cold was deep in his bones by now, dangerously so, making everything feel sluggish and slow. Including his speech. "What... do you... want?"

The ringleader from before sat down on a rock close to a roaring blaze, smug sneer plainly evident even from behind the bottle of alcohol stuck between his lips. After a deep swig he laughed, "I want to gloat. Not as fun when you're just laying there."

This was definitely not how Leonardo had envisioned this day going when he'd given himself up for the Yeti. In his head it had played out so much better. He would free the Yeti and then they would try to chain him or bind him. He would break free when the moment was right, when the shotgun wasn't two inches from his beak, and then he'd stand above them on a rocky outcrop and give them a moving speech about humanity and respect and then he'd disappear to grab Aaliyah and keep going.

Of course that would work a lot better if there WERE some rocky cliffs for him to stand on. These mountains were a bit underwhelming compared to what he'd been expecting. Still a climb, obviously, but not like he'd been picturing mountains in his mind from stories and TV shows.

Which reminded him that he'd been separated from Aaliyah! She was probably freezing cold and maybe captured as well, just waiting behind that same rock from before. She'd probably witnessed the abuse that had given him all of these bruises and... oh gross, that definitely was the smell of urination. And as he struggled to make his frozen limbs work and sit himself up he could feel it had crusted on his skin, making him wrinkle his snout in disgust.

"Hahahahaha, how pathetic. Can't even get yourself up, can you? You have got to be the stupidest thing that ever lived for coming here in the first place."

There was a small sound behind the man, one he didn't notice through his barking laugh, but Leonardo definitely noticed it. Especially when it came with a small blink of light, like from a flashlight just turning on for a fraction of a second. And then a dark, looming, furry shape rose out of the shadows behind the man.

Looks like Aaliyah, once again, hadn't exactly just been sitting around waiting for him.

"Enjoy it... while... you still can." Leo warned him, drawing the horrendous laughter to a halt.

"The hell's that supposed t-"

"AAARROOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

The man fell off of his boulder, scrambling from the roar that came from directly behind him, the camp suddenly in chaos as a whole family of Yeti barrelled through and chased the men off. There were the sounds of screaming and shouting, a gunshot and then even more screaming, all while small and gentle hands gave him a mighty push and rolled him closer to the fire to begin warming up.

Leonardo could only grunt at the feeling of snow being scrubbed against his skin, pulling away stains of yellow and orange for a few moments until all was still once again and Aaliyah turned her attention to the crowd of creatures gathered around them.

"Thank you." The two of them said in unison, Aaliyah clasping her gloved hands together and bowing her head in gratitude.

"I should thank you." One of the Yeti said, startling Leonardo but Aaliyah simply turned towards her friend.

"He's hurt, and too cold to walk. His blood doesn't allow him to move when he gets too cold. If the men come back before he can get warm they will kill us." She explained humbly and the Yeti nodded, several of them lumbering forward.

"For saving Uuri we will care for your wounds, restore you to health." A large male rumbled, scooping a thick arm underneath of Leonardo's torso and lifting. "Come."

It was a little bit embarrassing at first, needing to be carried like a small child, but the Yeti was warm and he really didn't have much room to complain considering that he'd barely be able to manage more than a hobble on his own. Aaliyah trotted along in the middle of the family of beasts, carrying Leo's swords while another carried his pack. They took the pair to a deep cave that was kept warm by the heat of the earth, leaving Aaliyah to scrub him clean before his bruises could be wrapped.

They sat there silently while the geothermally heated water warmed him up and gentle hands worked tirelessly, Leonardo thinking about what had happened until finally he had to speak. Quietly, of course, but speak nonetheless.

"The third fold of the path is Selflessness." It seemed pretty self explanatory but Aaliyah didn't respond, like she hadn't even heard him, and so he kept going. Maybe she was just confused about what he meant. "The Five Fold Path. The third thing I'm supposed to prove is Selflessness. And I did today. I proved that I'm selfless."

"You proved that you're an idiot."

Leonardo started at that, whipping his head to look at her with an incredulous expression. "Excuse me?"

Her eyebrows lifted at him as if to say 'you heard me' while she continued to scrub at him. "Selflessness isn't about being stupid, Leonardo, just to save someone else. It's about willingly and Knowingly sacrificing for other people. Putting their needs above your own."

"And I did." He insisted, gesturing to the family of Yeti that were preparing a place for him to sleep. "I put the Yeti's freedom first."

She huffed through her nose, shaking her head but dropping the subject as she finished getting him clean. She sent him over to Uuri, who was the Matriarch and healer, to dress his wounds while she wrung out rags and cleaned the smell off of her hands. Then once Leo had been put to bed she finally took her turn with Uuri, dressing the bullet graze she'd received on her shoulder in the chaos of the rescue.


	11. Leonardo's Humility

**Yay for Chapter 11! Also, sorry guys, now that NaNoWriMo is done I'll be on a slightly more irregular update schedule. Unfortunately in this month before christmas things always get crazy busy at work. Once Christmas Vacation is here though, I'll be able to hammer out a couple of chapters. My usual schtick seems to include getting a couple of hours to pound out about 2000 words each on Saturday and Sunday mornings so just depending on how long the chap is that will dictate how long it takes to get out the new chapter. This one is about 6000 but with Thanksgiving break I was able to take some time on Friday morning as well to get in another 2000. Hopefully that means I'll be able to get at least one chapter done before Christmas Break but we'll see.**

 **Thanks for all of your reviews to my regular crew: Omobolasire1, Beeder, SuperNovaWolf, and DragonEgyptianBlue as well as a couple of new faces MarshWolffe and Sunstar Writer! Your kind words feed my soul always. Omobolasire1 made me giggle and Beeder and SuperNovaWolf especially are to thank for inspiring the addition of some more Yeti Time in this chapter. I loved seeing that Sunstar Writer got what I was hinting at and we'll be seeing a little more of that here in the next chapter. Good eye on you!**

 **No trigger warnings for this chapter, Leo kindof gets his butt handed to him but honestly it's just a little scratch so he'll be ok physically *waggles eyebrows* Hint Hint THIS IS THE CHAPTER WHERE THE BIG THING HAPPENS I HOPE YOURE ALL READY FOR THIS BECAUSE IT IS DEFINITELY EVIDENT THAT LEO IS NOT WOOOOOOOO!**

* * *

Japan. Finally.

It was all Leonardo could focus on and quite frankly Aaliyah was sick of it. He was missing the point of Everything completely because his sole focus was here, in Japan, and while he SAID he was travelling the Five Fold Path there was a big difference between going through the motions and really taking them to heart. And the fact that he wasn't learning a single thing from all of this was truly heartbreaking for her.

Leaving the Yeti had been hard too, Uuri was such a kind matron and had taken the time to show Aaliyah what bounty could be found in the rolling mountains of Mongolia, the plants and the mosses that could be eaten and what could kill them. It was a good thing too because they never did find the monastery that they had been hoping to find for the sake of provisions. And while it was a long two weeks living off of grass and moss before they finally made it to a town it did keep them alive and Aaliyah held tightly to the tuft of Uuri's fur that the matriarch had given her to remember them by.

And she thought about them a lot as the two travelers walked that next month. That was really what she did best, think about everything, since she really was sticking to her guns about this 'not talking to him while he still had his head shoved so far up his ass he couldn't hear her anyways' stint she'd been on. And it wasn't hard, really. There wasn't anything to say to him. Nothing that he was going to listen to. And as a teacher she had mastered the "I'll wait" technique in her classroom enough that simply not speaking to him took zero effort on her part. Who wants to talk when the only person you can speak to refuses to listen?

And so she thought. She thought and dreamed and reasoned and remembered, and in those long weeks of walking through the slowly thinning mountain range she thought mostly about the Yeti. Their social structure. The way they communicated with each other. Listened intently to what each had to say. It was so refreshing to be able to talk and be heard. And in a way it made her pine for Donatello deeply.

He would have loved getting to meet the Yeti. As cryptids he would have been utterly fascinated with their advanced intelligence and she could just imagine him chattering away with all of them excitedly about their history. How the Yeti came to be. Did they have a written record? How far back did the oral history of the Yeti go? He would have had hundreds of questions for them.

Aaliyah had asked a few but for the sake of being polite hadn't wanted to pry too much into their lives. They had been guests in that underground home, after all. But what little she'd pried into had been truly fascinating. Like the fire that they had in the pit of their cave had been burning for at least 7 generations of Yeti, fed constantly so that even as small embers it never truly went out. There had been the time, 7 generations ago, when they had been forced to abandon their cave for a couple of weeks because of some persistent explorers and the fire had gone out then. But even at that it had been going for 6 generations even before then when they had first found this mountain home, making 13 generations of Yeti that had lived in the same cave. It was deep and winding and while they did have excellent night vision the depths of the cave were simply too dark for them to live down there without some light.

The other hilarious thing that had especially tickled Aaliyah was that Uuri and her mate Aal were quick to shoot Leonardo a disapproving glance on the couple of occasions that he had made an offhanded remark about Aaliyah or his brothers for one reason or another, gently reminding him that family was all he had in the world, all that anyone had in the world, and that the family relationships he had should be treated with respect. And funnier still was that since theirs was a matriarchal society they instinctively turned to her to ask about their family, and it was easy to see that Leonardo viewed it at a personal slight to him. He wasn't used to being second place, especially not so casually, and his frustration with it had him packing his things after only a few days of staying with the Yeti.

Aaliyah of course would have preferred to stay just a couple of days more, after all it wasn't just anyone in the world who was able to actually speak with and stay with a family of enormous fur people, and truth be told her shoulder still hurt quite a bit. But Leo had decided and so they bade the Yeti goodbye with their eternal gratitude. In parting Aaliyah left with them the only thing she had to give, a beaded necklace that Michelangelo had given her that made a beautiful bracelet for Uuri. And in turn Uuri had asked what she could give Aaliyah. They themselves had very little to give as well, so Aaliyah had asked for a little bit of her soft fur to remember her by. Uuri held very still, an action that showed great trust that wasn't lost on the woman, while Aaliyah used a knife to cut a small fluff of fur from Uuri's side. She would have liked to turn it into a pendant but without any kind of materials to do so she had to simply wrap the tuft in some fabric and tuck it into a safe place in her pack for now.

And then they were off. The Yeti followed them for a little while, making sure that they would be safe, but eventually they had to turn back and head to their own home and allow the wanderers to continue their journey alone.

Which brought them here.

Civilization again at last.

It was almost jarring, honestly, going from a place with nothing to a place with everything. They followed a large river into China which led them to Liaodong Bay, water finally affording them some faster travel that didn't require them to use their feet so much. All of the walking they had done over the past ( _... two months? How long had it been anyways? Time felt kindof fuzzy to her now since the days and nights had all kindof blended together into a blur of mountains and snow and walking_ ) extended amount of time had at first been very hard on her feet but by now the throbbing and aching had died down and her legs had stopped twitching so much by the end of the day. It was still nice to have a day on a ship, though, and by now she was able to simply pass out as soon as they were squeezed into a hidden corner of the ship.

And then it was Japan, bustling cities and a sprawling countryside that was a unique blend of historical and modern that made it feel kindof surreal in a way. And the first thing they needed was supplies, which was Aaliyah's time to shine. She got plenty of odd looks as she headed into town, not that she blamed them at all with her being both a fair-haired foreigner and a homeless looking one at that, but she ignored them all. She was on a mission and that was what mattered.

Another internet café. Another faire paid. And another wait while Donatello's programming whittled it's way through the internet and finally set up a secure link to his coms.

Donatello: AALIYAH ffs it's been forever where the hell are you? Are you ok? What happened?

Aa: Hello to you too

Donatello: I'm sorry. Can you talk? Like with a microphone? We're patrolling and the holographic display is kindof bright and obvious

Aa: uhhhhh lemme check, one sec

It took a little bit of searching but she located a headset on the back of the computer and slid it over her ears. The attendant looked a little bit disgusted and she did feel a little guilty at the state of her hair but it really couldn't be helped at the moment. There were more important things to worry about.

Aa: Ok I've got some headphones

Donatello: Alright just give me a second on my end, I need to widen the connection a little bit and set up a secure a safe, untraceable call. Just a sec.

Aaliyah drummed her fingers on the desktop while she waited, jumping at the sound of static blaring loudly through the headphones rather suddenly. Soon the static melted away though and Aaliyah couldn't help but gasp at the sound of his voice in her ears. "Hello? Aaliyah? Can you hear me? Hello?"

"Donnie?"

"...Aaliyah? God you sound... actually you sound different?"

"Heh, gee thanks. That tends to happen when you don't speak a word to anyone for two weeks."

"Two weeks? Why? What happened?" There was an audible gasp and his volume level picked up a notch with worry. "Did you get captured? Where's Leo? Is he hurt? Are you alright?"

She chuckled deeply and shook her head, tears stinging her eyes. "I'm ok, Don, Leo's ok. It's just more of the same, like I told you last time. It's really good to hear you. I miss you a lot."

"I miss y-"

"AALIYAH BABY GIRL HI CAN YOU HEAR ME? OW! Donnie it's my turn! I wanna say Hi!  
"Mikey I'm still talking!"  
"Ya ain't hoggin' the line, Dee, or Imma take that off ya head."  
"Guuuuuuuys please! Just TWO MINUTES!"  
"Gimme Gimme Gimme Gimme!"

"Donnie..."

"Just a second my angel, I need to-"  
"OW!"  
"DAMMIT DON THAT FU-"  
"One more second princess I need to make a hasty exit here..."  
"DONNIE IMMA STRING YOU UP AND SHOCK **_YOUR_** ASS, SEE HOW YOU LIKE IT!"

"Donnie you didn't."

"Maybe?"

"DONNIE GET BACK HERE O- **OW**! SUNOVA-"

Aaliyah snorted loudly and dropped her head into her hands, shaking from how hard it was to not burst out laughing and disturb the other patrons there. Voice strained and squeaking she giggled out, "You know you're just egging them on right?"

"Look, I JUST want to be able to talk to you in some PEACE and QUIET-"  
"Donatello you get back here!"  
"-and I really don't see why that's so much to ask!"  
"When I get my hands on you!"

"They're going to murder you when they find you."

"… you need any help there in Japan? Cause I could postpone that murdering by a couple of weeks if you need me there."  
"Donnie c'mon man! That ain't cool brah!"

"Where the heck are you now?"

"Get down here right now or I'm gonna rip this shit apart and I'm not kiddin'!"  
"I may possibly have used my staff to vault myself onto the top of a radio antenna for Channel 6 News and the antenna is only sturdy enough for one turtle at a time. NO YOU WILL NOT BECAUSE THAT'S DEFACING PUBLIC PROPERTY."

"Donnie I really don't have all that much time."

"Oh, well I can fix that."

Aaliyah raised her eyebrow at the computer screen, eyes darting down to the bottom corner where the timer that read 00:07:34 suddenly read 02:07:33. "Donnie..."

"Whaaaaat? Come on you really think I'm going to let some digital timer tell me how long I can or can't talk to my lady?"

She could hear the mirth in his tone and she couldn't help but snort again at him, shaking her head that was still couched in her hands. "You're really something, you know that right?"

"Why yes, yes I do thank you."  
"Dooooooooooooonnieeeeeeeeeeee"  
"FIVE. FUCKING. MINUTES. I WANT FIVE MINUTES OF PEACE AND THEN I'LL COME DOWN. THAT'S ALL I'M ASKING. FIVE. CAN YOU DO THAT?"

"Donnie baby you do realize that every time you shout at them you're also shouting in my ear right?"

"Oh... sorry... I'm just... I just want to have you to myself. Just for a little bit."

"I know. How are you holding up?"

"I'm ok. It would be better if you were here."

"And I'd rather you were here too but I'll be home before you know it. I promise."

"Does that mean Leo's doing better?"

"Oh, no, Leo's still an asshole. But we're getting there. Slowly. I can just... feel it. Like when you're watching cartoons and the ominous music starts playing? It feels like that. Like something's coming. I don't know what, but it is."

"I don't like the sound of that... are... is he going to lash out again? Like he did in Portugal?"

"I don't know, honestly, and you know that if I did I'd tell you. The only thing I remember from reading the comics about this Five Fold Path stuff is that he has to go on this journey and I remember the big idea being growth and learning but I honestly don't remember much besides that. It was a long time ago, even in my own dimension and timeline, when I read it. And if I remember right the comic doesn't even go into much detail. It just kindof highlights the big things that happen. And we've been walking for so long I think most of my brain has kindof turned to mush anyways."

"Wait... you've been walking?"

"From Kazakstan, yeah."

"… But that's thousands of miles away from Japan where your ping puts you at."

"Well I mean we didn't get there overnight. It took us a few weeks."

"Yeah... I guess. Speaking of which, Aaliyah do you know what month it is?"

"Uhhhhhhhh... Well... It's cold and snowy outside so... Winter?"

"Uhm... It's February. Valentine's Day was last week."

She blinked dumbly at the screen, eyes staring that the corner of the screen where the time was displayed next to a date she couldn't read because of the language barrier, trying to wrap her head around the idea that she'd been gone for over three months already. "… I'm sorry. And I completely missed it."

"I-It's ok. I know you've been busy and all. I know you didn't mean to."

"I didn't mean to but that still doesn't change the fact that you were alone on Valentine's Day."

"A-actually it wasn't so bad. Mikey and Raph were here. We, uh, made cards and little Valentine's day presents for you and Leonardo that we're saving until you can get back. It was pretty fun, Mikey's idea."

Aaliyah giggled as he carried on, describing all of the things that Mikey had wrangled him into while the two of them had been away from home. It was good to hear that he seemed to be doing well, though obviously there were a couple of instances where his voice cracked and strained from emotion. In general he sounded well, a great relief to Aaliyah since he had been so heartbroken when she'd left. And then Raphael had a turn to talk, Donnie whispering that he was going to give Raphael a turn second so that he wouldn't have the chance to get back at Donnie while Mikey was talking until he'd been pacified with a turn to talk.

Raphael sounded good as well and while he did grumble a lot about how damn hard it was to be the leader and all of the Everything that came with it he did sound like he was at least doing his best. And that was all anyone could ask for. She gently reminded him that even when it got hard his brothers really did need him to step up and be the big brother, that he shouldn't go off on his own just because it would be easier than trying to wrangle them into formation. He reluctantly agreed and gave her an update about Splinter who was still putting along but his age was definitely starting to show. Which reminded her about something that she really needed to talk to Donatello about but it would have to wait for another day.

Next was Michelangelo's turn and he gallantly regaled her with all of the exciting details of the happenings in New York while she'd been away, gushing over his brothers and just how proud he was of both of them. His new high score was absolutely unbeatable and apparently he'd met someone who hadn't screamed at him immediately, making him very hopeful that the public view of vigilante turtles was changing. There were plenty of grumbles in the background but Mikey was unphased, spending a good ten minutes along just picking Aaliyah's brain for information about the other turtle universes that were able to be seen by the people of the city. She really did her best to be realistic about it, about the time and work that went into being able to maintain that kind of freedom, but even still it made him giddy just to think about it.

And while Donnie had adjusted the meter to give them more time twice she really did have to go, Mikey leaving her with a small plea that she include Leo on the next call. Aaliyah promised that she would try her best, but internet cafes were only open in daylight hours and Leonardo was presently hidden away and sleeping until it got a little bit darker outside and he could more easily slip through the streets unnoticed.

The rest of her shopping trip was rather uneventful as far as tales to tell were concerned however it was noteworthy that most everyone she needed to buy from all spoke excellent English. One woman was kind enough to usher Aaliyah into her home after they chatted for a minute and the woman heard about the journey she was taking with her 'brother' to find spiritual enlightenment, insisting that Aaliyah shower while the woman and her daughter cleaned her clothes.

"There is a man," The woman, who's name turned out to be Sun Lee, told her after Aaliyah had related a slightly modified version of her story to her, "who lives at the feet of Fuji-san. He is a great master of ninjutsu. He is Kyūshi, The Old Master. If your brother has dedicated himself to traveling the world in search of enlightenment and the Five Fold Path, as you say, of Ninjutsu then he should seek him out."

Sun Lee was kind enough to give as best of directions as she could to the Old Master's dojo, as well as a few tips about where to buy good provisions that would last them a while in their packs without refrigeration. Dried fish were everywhere and while Aaliyah really had eaten more of that than she ever had wanted to in any lifetime it was at least better than moss (bless Uuri for that, while it had kept them alive, it definitely wasn't the best tasting meal.)

She thanked Sun Lee profusely for her kindness and hurried on, feeling rejuvenated and truly clean for the first time in months. River baths just weren't the same as having hot water to really scrub in, especially with most of the rivers recently being dangerously cold. They had once or twice put in the fuel and effort to heat up some water enough to clean themselves with but even that wasn't the best situation to be in. Wet skin plus snow was not exactly her favorite sensation in the world and they'd had to stick close to the fire for a while to keep from freezing solid after their baths were done. So to have a shower again was absolutely heavenly.

Leonardo seemed especially keen to learn about the old master and set off to find him immediately with Aaliyah once again in tow. It took another night of travel to get there but with so much public transportation available they were easily able to hop from bus to bus until there were only a few hours of walking between themselves and their destination. Leonardo didn't speak as much Japanese as he thought he did but between the two of them they eventually found a well kept but unassuming building with no signs or indication that anyone or anything extraordinary was happening there. It was clearly a beautiful place to be though, even when covered in snow there were raised beds for flowers and sweeping trees, all of it on an even spread of … probably grass. It was covered in snow so it was impossible to tell but the snow was level and impeccably smooth so… probably grass.

It was late afternoon when they arrived, Leonardo finally bringing her along rather than leaving her behind for the simple fact that he needed someone to announce his presence so he wouldn't have the school chase after him for looking so different. Luckily when they entered the dojo it was empty save for a small handful of older men kneeling at a low table, chatting and laughing over tea. The laughter died down when they spotted the two travelers and the youngest at the table, probably about 50 years old, stood to greet them.

At first he tried a greeting in Japanese, one that Aaliyah didn't understand one bit, but she bent at the waist and bowed to about a 45 degree angle nontheless. "Uhm... Kon ni chi wah, Ky- um- Kyūshi. Wah tah shi Aaliyah, uhhhhh... koreh wa Leonardo..."

The gentleman chuckled and held up his hands to pause her stumbling attempts, smiling warmly. "We do speak English here, young one, please. Your efforts are much appreciated but it is much better to speak in a way that is understood by all."

She couldn't help but sigh deeply in relief, the little Japanese she remembered from her father only included about 6 phrases and the numbers 1-10. If she was going to have to translate or speak for the two of them they were going to be in very big trouble. "Thank you. My name is Aaliyah and this is Leonardo. He has been traveling the world in search of the Five Fold Path and has come here in the hopes of proving his humility. However, he looks very different and is hoping that he will be judged according to his skill and merit rather than his appearance."

The teachers all looked at each other and then to the very aged gentleman sitting at the head of the table. A short, portly fellow with an impressive white beard that seemed to reach almost all the way to his toes and a long ponytail of sleek white hair to match. He hummed in thought, stroking his beard, and then asked, "He has come to prove his humility, has he?"

Aaliyah grinned at the old master, likely THE old master, and tried to keep the mirth to a minimum in her expression. "Yes sir, this is why he has come today."

Another hum and some more stroking of his impressive beard. "Well then. Let us see the sort of man we have here then."

Leonardo nodded, tacking on a "thank you Sensei" before turning and walking to the wall of the dojo. He removed his pack and placed it along the wall, motioning for Aaliyah to join him. She trotted over and he peeled off his coat, handing it to her once it was off and plopping his wide-brimmed hat down on top of it. He straightened the leather strap across his chest that held his katanas in place on his shell and sucked in a deep breath, then turned and walked back to the table of teachers.

While Aaliyah didn't much appreciate being used as a coat rack she still wasn't cruel, so she lay his coat over top of his pack and set his hat down gently on the pile before also removing her own pack and coat.

"I am Leonardo. My father has sent me to follow the Five Fold Path, all the way from New York City in America. I have already proven my Courage, Compassion, and Selflessness and now I seek the opportunity to prove my Humility and offer myself as a student to a great Master such as yourself. I know that I may not look like your other students but I have studied the art of Ninjutsu my whole life, diligently, I have dedicated myself more than any of my other brothe-"

"Quiet, toad boy, nobody wants to hear you brag." The squat old master snapped at him, and even from the other side of the dojo Aaliyah could see Leonardo stiffen in indignation. It was cruel, yes, but afte of dealing with him being insufferable it lifted the corners of her lips just a little bit to see him knocked down a peg. What she didn't expect was for the old master to call out to her next.

"You. Toad boy's errand girl. Come here."

Well that was rude. But it wasn't her place to argue and so she walked over with her chin tipped down respectfully and stood by Leonardo. The master waved her closer, however, and so she walked over next to him, sitting in the spot on the wooden floor where he pointed to. "Alright froggie, show me your katas. Sensei Iro will call them out for you."

Leonardo's face twitched at being called a frog but nodded anyways and replied, "Hai Sensei."

While Leonardo was busy showing off his katas the old master turned to Aaliyah and asked, "How long have you been traveling with this turtle? I take it you do not feel he has been following the Five Fold Path, or else you would have said so."

She grinned and looked down at her hands that were folded in her lap, taking a moment to choose her words carefully. "I have been with Leonardo since I was sent to this planet almost a year ago. He and I have been traveling for three months around the world, as he said, in search of the Five Fold Path. But... to answer you honestly, Kyūshi, he has not been ON the Path since he began. He is stubborn and hard headed and listens to no one except for himself and those he deems worthy of listening to. And unfortunately I am not worthy of such an honor."

"Hmmmm..." The small old man thought this over for about three of Leonardo's katas before asking, "And yet you stay? Why not go home if he will not listen? Is this turtle your husband?"

She snorted and made a face, shaking her head at him emphatically. "No no no, not even close. Honestly his brother is the one that I've become closest to in that way. I left him to be here with Leonardo. I've been tempted to go back home so many times it's impossible to count but he Needs guidance. What little I can give him. He doesn't take it at all, but I still have to try. Well... I mean... when I can. I can probably count the number of sentences I've spoken to him in the last three months on one hand. Usually we walk in silence. I figure that if he won't listen when I do speak I might as well save up the words so that they at least mean something when I try."

"So you left his brother to be here with him, who doesn't listen to the few words you speak, as he does not travel the Five Fold Path he was sent to follow. Hm. I have heard enough." The little man stood up, which honestly didn't give him much height compared to when he was seated, and he toddied over to Leonardo and called out a harsh "YAME!"

Sensei Iro bowed to the Kyūshi and headed back over to the small table, taking a seat silently to watch what would happen next. Leonardo knelt respectfully in front of the old one who planted his feet and stood squarely in front of the turtle. "So. You can memorize some katas. A monkey can be trained to do katas too! I hope you are warmed up now, monkey boy, because now it is time to test what little mettle you possess!"

Leonardo blinked at the old master, tensing up in apprehension for what was to come. The old master took a step forward, putting himself right in Leonardo's face and added, "Well, DO something monkey boy!"

"But..." Leo blinked again, Aaliyah scooting just a little bit behind one of the Senseis as that feeling of dread became louder than she could stand. "But you're unarmed."

The slap that followed made her jump and between the echoing sound of it and Leonardo's automatic "OW! Hey!" that followed it completely covered up the singing of one of Leonardo's blades as it was drawn from its sheath by the old man.

"Unarmed you say? I think you are mistaken, Monkey Toad." The old master was grinning sadistically as Leo jumped to his feet, drawing his remaining sword defensively. "You had better act quickly now, Kumquat, before I slice you in two like the piece of unripe fruit that you are!"

It was surprising to Aaliyah just how open the old master's stance was, sword lazily held up on one side of his body while it appeared that he was just standing there, waiting for Leonardo. Apparently the turtle noticed it too because he wasn't attacking either.

"Why are you calling me names? I didn't travel halfway around the world to be insulted! I came here to learn!"

Suddenly the master leapt into the air and slashed viciously at Leonardo's head, reflexes alone saving him from getting decapitated. Not enough to keep the master from drawing blood but enough to save his life at least. "Ha HA! Nearly lost your head, stupid fruit pie!"

Aaliyah could almost hear the snap of Leonardo's patience as it broke and he shouted back at the master, "Stop!" Standing in ready position now he twirled his blade and lunged at the old master. "STOP CALLING ME NAMES!"

Blades flashed and sang as steel bit into steel, the master hardly even moving while Leonardo worked himself into a frenzy. "You call this an attack, Toad? I have seen better form from ninja babies! Maybe I should take your other katana too, you unworthy ninja baby!"

"There is NO WAY a fat old man like you could POSSIBLY-"

It happened faster than Aaliyah could actually process, but suddenly Leonardo was flat on his shell while the old master stood on his chest, both katanas in his hands. He smugly leaned down towards the turtle's face and retorted, "Way."

Leo struggled beneath the weight of the round man, wheezing, "Get off... of... me! You weigh a ton!"

But instead the old master chose that moment to sit on Leo, leaning in closer with a challenging sneer. "So you think yourself better than your brothers, better than this woman, do you? You think yourself good enough to leave your Sensei in search of better? Foolish kumquat."

"can't... breathe..."

"You still have much to learn, ninja baby." He tossed Leonardo's swords down by his head and slid off of him with a dismissive harumph. Motioning to the other Sensei, drawing the rest of them to their feet and towards a doorway that led deeper into the building, he bowed at the waist towards Aaliyah. Blinking in surprise at the respectful motion she scrambled to her feet and bowed in return, a little bit unsure of what to do with Leonardo now. But apparently the Kyūshi had one more thing to say to him as he left the room and slid the rice paper door closed behind him.

"One does not face the Five Fold Path alone, Kumquat. The Path begins and ends with others. You would do well to listen to your Sensei Aaliyah for once."

And then it was silent.

And it was dark.

He didn't move immediately but when he did he barely made it to his knees, her heart going out to him as he struggled with himself. She padded quietly over to him and picked up his swords, holding them up for him while he got himself on his feet. His arms shook and he wobbled a little bit once he was upright, but he kept his chin down. She couldn't tell if it was out of embarrassment or true humility but either way he couldn't bring himself to look her in the eye. Instead he stared at the swords in her hands, hesitating before bringing his own hands up to take them from her. And even then he simply stared at them for a little while longer, Aaliyah wondering what was going through his mind but once again keeping quiet about it.

Turning to walk past him she picked up her coat and put it on, donning her pack and situating it on her back when he finally decided to move. He slid his swords into their sheaths and walked heavily to his things, preparing again for the cold outside world. His pace remained heavy and slow for the rest of the night while they looked for a place to sleep, finally finding a barn with plenty of hay for them to rest in for the night. They set up their sleeping bags and Aaliyah snagged their canteens with the idea of filling them for the night but a soft hand catching her arm stopped her as she moved to walk past her traveling companion.

Neither of them moved for a few beats of time, soft puffs of breath ghosting towards the rafters while she waited for whatever had pulled his hand to her arm, but instead of a question or an accusation the grip on her arm only tightened as he tugged her carefully around to his front. Two strong arms wrapped completely around her as he bent over to tuck his face into the crook of her neck, Aaliyah freezing in confusion until it was finally clear that he was hugging her. Then her own arms snaked up behind his shoulders so she could hold him back, letting him crush her a little bit under the weight and strength of the emotional support he needed in that moment.

"I'm so sorry. I've… been…"

"A jackass?"

"… yeah. I didn't… I don't know what I was thinking. But he was right, I haven't been listening."

"Not worth a damn, no. But I'm still here."

"You shouldn't be. You should have gone home a long time ago. I don't deserve to have you here."

"Do you want me to go home?"

"… … no."

"Then I'll stay."

"And I promise I'll try to listen more. We only have Community left of the Five Fold Path and I promise that you'll always be a part of mine."

"Aaaaaaaaaactually… I really don't think we're ready for Community just yet."

It was then that Leonardo finally let go, Aaliyah looking up at him with soft reproaches his eyebrows rose in askance. "Calling a baby whale rescue Courage and a slaughter Compassion and getting rescued by Yeti Selflessness doesn't mean you actually learned anything about those values. I can call today the 35th of June and that's still not going to change anything. So we can keep going forward but I think we need to revisit those other folds of the path while we're going forward."

Leo opened his mouth like he was going to protest but ended up clicking his teeth together when he thought better of himself. Swallowing thickly he lifted his hands off of the small of her back where they had been resting and placed them on his hips with a sigh. "O- Okay. I guess maybe we Could revisit those… if you think we need to."

Setting the canteens aside Aaliyah took a seat on one of the hay bales and crossed her knees, regarding him curiously. It was nice to see him finally coming to his senses but there was still a long way left to go before they would be ready to head back home. "It's not about what I think, Leonardo. It never was. I'm here to just point you in the right direction because this path is about your personal growth. Do you feel like Iceland helped you grow as a person? Become a better leader?"

Shuffling a little bit awkwardly his gaze wandered around the barn while he thought it over, finally relenting with a sigh, "No."

She nodded at him, a smile sneaking onto her face. "How about Portugal?"

Another deep sigh. "No."

"Mongolia?"

"Alright, alright, you made your point. So we need to go over the other folds of the path again. But I Really do feel like I learned a lot about humility today!"

Nodding her head she leaned back and kept going. "Do you feel like having the humility to take criticism, even if it's not exactly presented in the kindest way, would make you a better ninja?"

Looking back up at her he thought it over, picking at a strand of dried grass sticking out of one of the bales. "Yes… I think that… I need to be able to listen to my team, hear what they have to say, and… be willing to make adjustments if they have a better idea than I do or if they point out something I might have missed."

"The operative word here being 'hear,' it doesn't do you or them any good if you don't actually listen to what they have to say. Just like it didn't do me any good to try to talk to you if you weren't going to listen."

A look of understanding crossed his face, followed by a humble drop of his chin. "So that's … that's why you've been giving me the silent treatment all this time? You thought that I wouldn't listen?"

'Thought' wasn't exactly the word that she would have used if she was phrasing the sentence but it seemed a bit like a bad time to nitpick semantics. "You said so yourself, the only opinion that mattered was yours. So yes, if yours was the only one that mattered I wasn't going to waste my breath."

Leonardo nodded, a gloved hand raising to rub self consciously at his arm. "I understand. Heh, I thought you were just mad because you wanted this to be a trip for you too. Like a vacation, and you were mad that it wasn't going to be a vacation."

She snorted at him and shook her head, "No I wasn't talking to you because you were being a hard headed, deaf piece of twat waffle jerky. But now that we're past that and you've finally figured out that your most difficult opponent you're ever going to face is yourself… I'm happy to talk."

Leonardo's expression turned sour at that but he offered no resistance to it, if anything it seemed to make him pensive and after a moment his legs tucked into a lotus position. "Would you mind if I meditated? I haven't had the chance to meditate since the boat ride to Odessa and I have a lot to meditate about."

"Nope, you go right ahead. I'm going to get us some water and see if I can make these bales any softer for the night."

"Ok, and… Aaliyah?"

She paused halfway down to the floor, reaching to pick up the canteens, and raised her eyebrows at him. "Hm?"

He shifted a little bit on the bale he was sitting on, looking up at her with his chin still tucked like a puppy who knows he's messed up and was still waiting for the other shoe to fall on his head. "Thank you for not giving up on me."

Well if that wasn't the icing on the cake she didn't know what was, and with her insides all warm and soft she finished scooping up the canteens and pressed a tender kiss to his forehead before moving on to the original chore that had gotten interrupted in the first place.

"I'd never give up on you, Leo. Not now, not then, and never again."


	12. Leonardo's Community

**I LIIIIIIIIIIVE**

 **ok so maybe I didn't update at Christmas like I wanted to. But in my defense this was a very difficult chapter to write. It kept getting off on these tangents and I had to scrap everything and start over at least three times after getting 1000 words in but never fear! Your slightly insane writer is here! And finally I found a flow that worked and got this baby all hammered out.**

 **A side not you guys, there is so much that could be written that I would love to go back and write when I can. Like the scene with the turtle infants that took up a single chapter when really that should have been like five chapters? And all of these adventures that could have so much more written about them? I really am planning on writing more. I swear. But I really HAVE to get the bare bones of this story turned into a skeleton before I can flesh it out. I mean... yeah we're at like a bajillion words already but this is still just the framework of the story. There's so much more that I want to write but I can't. And when I say I can't what I mean is that if I did, this story would never ever ever get finished. I want to get the trilogy done, write the final sentence, and then I can go back and flesh out the scenes that deserve so much more attention. So if you've noticed that sometimes I'm a little too brief with words, that's why. I just HAVE to get the story out, get it all down in order and coherent, with enough structure to support itself, and THEN I can go back through.**

 **So thank you for being so patient. I love you all. Thank you to Omobolasire1 and Beeder for your sweet comments on Chapter 11, they were truly heartwarming. This one was truly inspired by the 278 times I read your reviews over and over again, so I hope you enjoy Honor Boy at his Finest!**

 _ **EDIT: ALSO I'D LOVE TO GIVE A HUGE, GIANT THANK YOU TO DRAKE RHAPSODY FOR HELPING ME WITH MY SPANISH! BLESS YOUR HEART, I APPRECIATE YOUR COMMENTS SO MUCH! A HUNDRED THANK YOUS FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART!**_

* * *

 _"Alright Leo, it's high time we make up for some lost time. And honestly... thinking about the Five Fold Path as a path to be taken in sequential order kindof sucks. All of these are things we can learn about every day. And we should never stop learning about them. Everyone you meet, every path you take, every crossroads you come to, every hour you can learn something about the world and the people in it and yourself if you just have the open heart to listen and learn. So that's what we're going to shoot for. When you feel like you have reached a place where you have genuinely learned about each of the folds of the path every day then I think you'll be ready. I can help, I can ask you questions, I can help you to see the situations you find yourself in for what they truly are. But you, ultimately, are the one who has to have the open heart and mind and decide when you have reached that point for yourself. What do you think?"_

 _"I think... it sounds a little bit crazy. But I also think it sounds like a place I'd like to be at eventually. You really think I can find examples of Compassion and Courage and Humility and Selflessness and Community every day? Learn about all of those every day?"_

 _"Of course. I learn about them every day when I'm with you. I learn about Selflessness when I listen to you whine all the time and I don't snap at you for it and I learn about Courage when I have to face another day of following your shell around and Humility every time you say something stupid and I have to bite my tongue..."_

 _"Ha. Ha. So funny."_

 _"I know I'm hilarious, but seriously. You really can learn about those things the more you try, and the more you notice things the easier it gets too. You just have to be willing to truly look and listen."_

* * *

Three months seemed to both fly by and drag on for an eternity when Leonardo was being bombarded with questions and observations every single day. And although he joked that he missed the days when they weren't speaking to each other it really was astounding to learn to see things through new eyes.

New eyes that scanned the villagers from beneath a hooded cloak he'd fashioned himself, finally accepting his new role here in Costa Rica. He kindof liked being 'El Fantasma ***** ,' The Ghost. It allowed him to work as a ninja even in daylight hours, thanks to the dense underbrush of the jungle. And it also helped Aaliyah secure supplies for them that they needed from the people he was protecting.

Which actually was her current mission, and several small children trotted on her heels, calling out "Señora Blanca! Tell us another story!" Aaliyah was always gracious about accepting the gifts of beans and rope and masa that the older women of the town brought to her, bowing just like Leonardo had taught her and only taking what they needed for another couple of weeks in the jungle. Which, like now, meant kindly accepting only one of several bags that were offered to her. He didn't blame the people for trying to be overly charitable, after all he'd banished the cruel military presence that had been occupying the town only days before. But these people had just been ravaged by those men and they didn't have much left as it was. Taking the last of what they had would be taking advantage of them.

Or at least... he thought he'd banished them.

A cry from the south had the children scrambling and both Leonardo and Aaliyah shifting into a ready position. Unknowingly moving simultaneously, Leo slid from his perch in the treetops at the same time Aaliyah placed the bag of beans on the ground and calmly walked with long, graceful strides against the tide of scrambling natives towards the approaching vehicles.

Several gunshots rang out, pressing Leo to move more quickly through the jungle towards the edge of the clearing where he could watch and wait for the opportune moment. The vehicle in front held a portly man with a beret on his head and several lanky soldiers, the jeep stopping mere inches away from where the slender, now muscled and scarred blonde stood at the entrance to the village.

He barked something in Portuguese, and while neither of them were fluent it was clear he was ordering her out of the way. The smirk on Aaliyah's face, however, didn't budge an inch. "The last time your men were here they were chased out of town with their tails between their legs. Have you come to finally apologize to these nice people here?"

The leader burst into cruel laughter and smacked his knee, the slap of it easily heard even from Leonardo's vantage point. "You're hilarious! NO! We come to take back what is ours!"

"Then you've come for another beating, because that is the only thing that belongs to you here."

"The bible says that everything is for man's taking! And we are here to take!"

"YOU ARE WRONG!" Leo blinked rapidly, having never heard Aaliyah yell at anyone like that before, even when Michelangelo rather suddenly discovered her fear of spiders. Adjusting his vantage point a little he was surprised to see her hands balled into fists at her sides, face flushed an angry red and her stance leaning forward like she was only moments away from launching herself over the hood of the jeep. "The Bible says that the earth is here for man to CARE FOR. Nurture! Adam was called a Gardner, commanded to till the earth and raise flocks, and if you think you are greater than Adam then you have a hot seat in hell waiting for you, warmed by Cain himself who thought himself better than his brother Abel."

"Well well, so you have read them. Then you must know that it is also man's place to rule over women!"

Leo winced visibly, though luckily his hidden location in the underbrush made it so that no one actually saw it. "If you had EVER read a single page of that book in your life you'd know that the covenant made was that Eve would follow her husband only so long as he followed the commandments of God. And the first commandment is to love the Lord. The second is to love your neighbor as yourself."

Aaliyah angry gestured to the village of people and the many faces poking out from their houses to cautiously watch the exchange. "DOES THIS LOOK LIKE LOVING YOUR NEIGHBOR? FEAR AND OPPRESSION **AND HATRED AND VIOLENCE?** "

The men were silent for a minute, all of them turning to look at their leader. He blinked a couple of times before also growing red in the face and standing up in his Jeep to yell right back, "I WILL NOT BE SPOKEN TO THIS WAY! I AM MIGUEL SANTIAGO FERNANDEZ CASTRO **AND YOU WILL LISTEN TO ME!** "

Aaliyah's arms fell to her side with a deep breath that helped to calm the fiery rage she'd worked herself up into, though the glimmer in her eyes was more akin to the concentrated flame of a blowtorch than a bed of embers. "Then you stand to openly defy the commandments of the God you claim to be following and you will burn in Hell until the end of time. Turn back now while your soul can still be saved."

He scoffed and drew his pistol, aiming it at her head. "How about I see you there, **_Señora Blanca._** " He sneered at her and cocked the firearm, which earned him a return cock of her eyebrow. "Or is this mysterious "Ghost" going to fly in and save his bitch?"

Grinning darkly, Aaliyah gestured to the underbrush, "Why don't you ask him yourself?"

There went a murmur through the line of five jeeps, heads turning to look every which way in an attempt to catch a glimpse of El Fantasma. Leo stayed stalk still in place, narrowed eyes surveying the fearful men with a hint of a smile on his lips. This was going to be easier than he thought.

The leader snapped at the men, a couple of whom straightened up but most of them still shifted uncomfortably in place in paranoia. "There is no Ghost! He is just a myth!" Whirling back on Aaliyah, brandishing his weapon in a way that made Leonardo's muscles coil in preparation, he shouted, "And you are going to die!"

The very next sound that anyone heard was his screaming as he clutched a bloody stump where his hand used to be attached and the shouts of the few men who were lucky enough to not have blinked in the instant Leo leapt from the brush and flipped expertly over his vehicle. "That was a warning." Aaliyah calmly informed the chaos of men through a sadistic smile, several of whom were now looking at her with impossibly wide eyes as if she had been the one to make it happen. "There's still time to turn around and never return to this place. El Fantasma is not without Compassion. But if you mean to continue to threaten this Community then you will have to face his wrath."

The murmuring picked back up again, and even the leader seemed to hesitate through his agony. Two full Jeeps backed up and tore out of sight, unwilling to follow the newly crippled man they had followed into the jungle any longer. But the stupid man wasn't finished yet.

"KILL THEM ALL!"

Nobody fired immediately, each looking at the other with uncertainty.

And then Aaliyah ducked behind the bumper of the Jeep that had nearly hit her.

And all Hell broke loose.

Leo exploded from the treetops with a roar, teeth and blades flashing with equal ferocity. Gunfire thundered through the air and wizzed past the spot where she was hiding, pulling Aaliyah just a little further beneath the Jeep and curled into a tighter ball. It wasn't until the screaming had stopped and the gunfire had ceased that she finally pulled herself out from beneath the Jeep. The scene that met her eyes was horrific, but not more-so than she thought was necessary.

Seeing several severed limbs and the tail lights of two more Jeeps pulling away her lips pulled into a smile, the throats of the leader and the soldier who had been manning the vehicle-mounted machine gun slit so that their blood now painted the ground in deep red puddles. But other than those two dead the only other carnage left behind was in the form of hands, arms, and feet.

"Is everyone ok?" She called out, dusting herself off and straightening her ponytail. Terrified sets of eyes peered through openings in doorways, only willing to creep out of the safety of their homes once Aaliyah began walking back into the village. "Manuel? Doña? Está bien? Donde eres tu? ****** "

The calling pulled a sigh out of Leonardo as he surveyed Aaliyah picking up the pace to check each of the homes in the village and the people inside. He himself drew further into the shadows of the jungle to clean the blood from his body before it attracted the unwanted attention of predators. Not that he couldn't, and hadn't, defended himself and Aaliyah from several before but it was never an outcome he was looking forward to.

He didn't see her until later that night, Aaliyah carrying a bag of beans over one shoulder and an aromatic pot of something that smelled fantastic on the opposite hip. Leo stood up and hurried around their small fire to help her with the pot. However, Aaliyah turned to the side with a teasing grin and offered the bag instead. "Ah ah, Doña and Maricia gave me some very special instructions with this first mister. You take this."

"It smells amazing." He almost whined at the scent of it and how it made his mouth water, home cooked meals few and far between. It had been since their time with the Yeti, most likely, and even that had been mostly mosses and other high-altitude plant life. This was meat and lentils and dough and his stomach grumbled loudly in protest at being told to wait.

"And you were amazing today. I'm really proud of what you did today Leo." She grinned at him over the pot as she set it on the fire and worked to get it back up to temperature. "So how about we review the Folds while I work on this, hm? Open up that sack, there's a little satchel on top of cheese that Maricia says needs to get stirred in once this gets hot again."

Nothing could stop Leo from stealing a little nibble of the soft cheese, though it did earn him a teasingly reproachful look, as he passed it over and reached into the hollowed out tree they were using as a storage bin for their packs. "Well I think out of the two of us you were the one who showed the most courage today. Walking up to them like that when everyone else was running away."

"Yes, but let's not forget your courage too. The courage to be patient and wait for them to prove whether or not they were truly worthy of attack or not. You know how Raphael can get, that is going to take courage when you get home to stand up to him when he tries giving you flack for waiting like that."

Fishing out their bowls and utensils he nodded pensively to himself. "Yeah... you're right. But I can handle Raphael."

"Of course you can Handle Raphael." Snickering to herself as she carefully stirred the dark red, chunky stew. "Give me some lube and 5 minutes in a locked room with him and I can 'handle' him too. You've got to be able to do more than just 'handle' him."

Leo pulled a sour face and shook his head, snickering in spite of himself at the infectious way her laughter took over the campsite. "You know what I mean. I mean... I really think I'll be able to listen to him better now and I'll be able to work with him."

Her laughing died down and she nodded happily at him, motioning for him to continue. "Uhhh, let's see... Compassion. I let the ones get away that didn't want to fight and I made sure to only kill the one who was shooting the machine gun at the village and the one who was barking orders."

Aaliyah nodded happily and took his bowl from his hand, scooping out a full portion and handing it over. Leo wasted no time and immediately attacked his meal, warring between scarfing down the amazing meal and savoring the flavors of it. In the end his first bowl won out to his hunger, the second finally winning out to his taste buds. It was hearty and spicy, bursting with herbs and his normally somewhat useless tongue was in 7th heaven over it. If there was a thing better than pizza, this would be it, and he moaned happily at the taste.

Five helpings in and they finally scraped the bottom of the pot, Leo reaching a point where he was conscious enough that he could acknowledge how much of the offering he'd consumed compared to his companion. With his thick leathery hands he picked up the pot and poured the last of it into Aaliyah's bowl, then set it aside to cool so they could wash it in the river in the morning. "Did you get enough to eat?"

"Mmhmm." Aaliyah nodded and tipped the bowl up to pour the last few bites into her mouth before standing to grab another bundle of sticks for the fire. "Now how about those Folds?"

"Oh... right." He blinked and fidgeted, wracking his brain but finally grinned sheepishly at Aaliyah. "Where were we again?"

Aaliyah grinned wolfishly at him, replying with a sultry grin, "I think we were handling Raphael."

Leo snorted and coughed, flailing a little at how the sudden action caused his log to roll a bit. "Aaagh! _Noooo_ nonono, stahp, we were past that!"

"You sure? Cause I really think we were talking about-"

" _HEYYYYY_ whaddya know I think I just remembered!" Leo cut in suddenly, face a dark forest green that nearly looked black in the low light. "Compassion. We'd definitely moved on to compassion. Now please can you have some compassion on me and stop?"

She just snorted and continued chuckling at his expense. But to her credit she at least wasn't speaking which allowed Leo to continue. "I was saying that I was able to show compassion for the men who were following that Castro, letting them get away as long as they weren't hurting the villagers. Which reminds me."

Leo leaned forward as Aaliyah's giggles finally came to a stop, though her cheeks were still rosy with humor. "All of those things you said about the bible. You never mentioned that you were religious."

Her head cocked to the side, both of them taking a moment to listen to a rustle in the underbrush nearby but when it proved to be only a rat she looked over the fire carefully at him. "No, but then again you've never specifically mentioned that you weren't."

"True." Leo rested his forearms on his thighs and leaned forward, matching her head tilt. "But if you're religious then don't you need to go to church?"

"Not necessarily. It depends on the person, really, their religion and their reasons for it." The crackling of the fire seemed to be especially noisy as she pulled together her thoughts, but Leo had learned patience and waited it out nonetheless. "You see, for non-religious people... finding out that someone is devotedly religious is kindof like a huge flashing warning sign because of people like Mr. Castro. There are so many bad people out there who can use religion as an excuse to do bad things. And a lot of people who claim to be part of a religion are mostly just pretentious assholes about it with their 'holier than thou' mentality. I'm one of the religious people that likes to live and let be. If it comes up, great. If not, great."

"But how can you still be religious after you met the Thing that brought you here?" He questioned through narrowed eyes. To his surprise, however, she just chuckled at him.

"You're assuming I was religious because of some kind of... eternal reward in heaven or something."

"Well yeah, isn't that why all people are religious?"

"I can't speak for anyone else, but I wasn't." Sliding off of her log she plopped onto the soft ground and leaned back against her log with a contented sigh. "Religion was a way for me to better understand myself and my place in the world. Sure, when I was little "God said so" was a good enough reason to do all of the things that I was told. But as I got older I got to see things more as they truly are. Like that 'love your neighbor as yourself' bit. I think that's hilarious advice, to be honest, especially when so many people are so conceited. Yes it means that you should treat others the way you want to be treated but it also means that you should be patient with yourself just the same way you're patient with other people. Forgiving of yourself the same way you're forgiving of other people. If you're more forgiving of others, then maybe you should learn to forgive yourself the same way. If you're more forgiving of yourself, maybe you should learn to forgive others the same way. Etcetera, Etcetera, on and on for everything. Essentially... Religion is teaching, or should be teaching, people how to be good. And if they need a reason like 'heaven' or whatever then sure, do it for heaven. But me... I finally just... figured out that I just like being good to people."

It was a lot to take in and process but he was starting to piece together the puzzle of why this had never come up before. "So.. You were religious... but now you're not."

She bobbed her head side to side for a moment while she thought about it, finally humming out an uncertain, "I guess. I'd never really thought about it that way but sure. I don't need God or church or hellfire or heaven as a reason to hold myself to the same standards that any religious person would so sure? We do the same things and we read the same books... just for different reasons?"

"Mm." Leo thought about it for a little while, mulling over what had happened today in the context of her little monologue. "Maybe I should read the bible once so I can make the same kind of argument that you did. If people are going to quote it, then I should be able to also so I can tell them where they went wrong."

Aaliyah shrugged, leaning back to stretch with a huge yawn. "Sure, if you want. But I did it already so you could just ask me too. It's kindof a slippery slope, you know? Where does it stop? If you start with memorizing the bible then what about the other religions? The Quaran and the Hebrew... uhhhhh... hang on... Toran? No, no, Torah. And every other religious text. Soon that's going to be all you're studying for the rest of your life. I'm not saying don't read it, it's an interesting and very confusing read without all of the backstory stuff-"

"Backstory? Isn't the bible a big long backstory?"

"Well yeah, in the original Grecian and Egyptian texts. But you gotta realize that the original bodies of text were written in one language that got translated into another that got translated into another that got translated into another that THEN got translated into Latin which is bass-ackwards af and THEN it got translated into English. A whole crapload of stuff is different now than it was back then. You have to know the backstory to the bible to get the backstory that's actually WRITTEN in the bible."

Leo rubbed his head and shook it slowly. "Maybe I'll just leave that to you then. That sounds like a nightmare."

"It is." She nodded sagely, "That's why so many people fight about it and why so many people can use it for so many different agendas. Also there's the whole 'Old Testament / Old Law, New Testament / New Law' battle but I won't go there."

"Thank you."

"But for now where I WOULD like to go is your performance today. How do You think you did?"

Leo nodded, content to be falling back into old patterns. This was the same question she asked him daily, sometimes even several times daily, and she never would give him any kind of opinion back. If she thought differently she would continue to question, asking him about different angles or specific moments that would lead him to reevaluating himself, but she never did give an evaluation on her own. It was intensely frustrating at first for a boy who was used to getting feedback from Splinter about his performance, being called out when he wasn't giving it his all and being praised when he finally did a kata correctly. But he was starting to accept the reasoning behind it. He couldn't count on his brothers always having the same opinions of him but he could always learn to trust himself.

"I think... I did well. I was angry and frustrated when Castro was using the bible as a reason to hurt people, even more so when he was still going to go forward after you showed him where he was wrong, but I didn't let it get to me. I still did what I thought was necessary but not more than that. So I think... I think I did alright today."

Leo picked at his shoe a little, where it was falling apart from use and waited for the questions to come.

"Do you think you should have waited longer to act?"

"… No. He was waving his gun and any longer might have killed you."

"Do you think you waited too long?"

"Hmm... no. I don't think so. I waited long enough to give everyone a fair chance to turn around and back down and listen to reason so … no, I think I didn't wait too long."

"Do you regret any of the actions you took?"

"No. I cut off the hands that were trying to hurt people and I only took the lives of those who could not be stopped with less force."

"I saw a few feet there too."

"There were men trying to operate the machine gun with their feet after they had lost their hands."

"I see."

"So... I think I did well today."

"Good."

Leo blinked rapidly, shocked that she was offering even that much praise. "W-what? Why?"

"Because I was really, really proud of you." Leo looked up to find Aaliyah practically glowing and he could feel his face heat up in a way that wasn't related at all to the fire.

"Why?"

"Because of your Compassion. Even after all of those men chose to stay you only exacted as much force as was necessary to get the job done. You could have killed more of them for endangering the lives of the people but you didn't and for that I'm very proud of you."

Leo rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly and chuffed, unsure of how to respond. "I... um... thanks. That's... the first time I think since we've been out here that you've told me that."

That sagely expression never left her face, if anything it only deepened as she nodded. "I know. I've been saving it for once you've really earned it. You're the kind that thrives on feedback. But you Have to be able to function on your own, build your own self confidence enough, that you don't need that feedback to be able to thrive as a person. And I think you've finally made it there. All of us like to hear when we've done well but what matters most is when we can be confident in our own self evaluation. And you were very humble about it as well. Today you have shown Compassion, Humility, Courage, Community, and Selflessness."

Leo felt like his heart was about to explode and he sat up, hearing between the lines what was starting to think he might never hear. "Does... that mean?"

Aaliyah smiled knowingly and turned her head to the side, silently asking the question he already knew she was going to ask him. 'Do YOU think you're ready to go home?'

Leo leapt to his feet and hurried over to pick her up, swinging her around a couple of times as tears started to roll down his cheeks. "I'm ready. I'm really, really ready to go home. I've learned so much, Sensei, I'm ready! It's time to go home. It's FINALLY time to go home."

Aaliyah clung back and let his emotions soak her shoulder. "I think you're ready too. Being home won't be easy but I know you're ready Leo. I'm so proud of you. I really am."

He nodded his head and set her down, wiping at her shoulder hurriedly in mild embarrassment over letting himself be overcome with emotion. "C-can we go now? Right now?"

"Right now?"

"Right now."

"It's dark out." She reminded him with a slight smile, "And we still need to get this pot back to the town. You sure you want to go out right now?"

Leonardo's eyes glittered in the firelight as his back straightened and he stood up to his full height, reaching behind him for dramatic effect that Aaliyah had to bite back a groan at. "Don't you know, Sensei?" And then Leo drew his sword, letting it sing over all of the sounds of the jungle.

"Ninjas work best in the shadows."

.

.

.

.

"… You've been saving that one haven't you."

"… Maybe."

* * *

 ***** Translation: The Ghost

 ****** Translation: Esta bien means are you well or are you alright. "Donde eres tu" is purposely written/spoken incorrectly to indicate that while Aaliyah has a decent grasp on Spanish her linguistic skills aren't perfect. She tries, but she is definitely a gringo. It Should be spoken/written "Donde esta tu," with more accent marks that my darn computer is refusing to add. So for my spanish speakers, Drake Rhapsody thank you again for your help, I do apologize for my lack of proper accent marks ;;_;;


	13. Letters from Home

**Hey guys! New chapter yay! Get ready for fluff cause this chapter is 100% fluff. The gang is finally all back together and the smooches may now commence.**

 **I know a couple of you saw but for those of you who didn't see... I wrote a Prologue for Kismet, _and thank you so very much to SupernovaWolf for giving me your thoughts about it_! I definitely agree that I need some kind of system to let you guys know when the chapters have been updated so here's my thought. You may have noticed but all of the chapter titles in Kismet are all one word. I did that on purpose, trying to kindof stick with a theme, but my thought was that I could change the chapter titles to two word titles just like Letters from Home chapters have. That would be a quick, easy way to see which chapters have been edited and which chapters haven't been without needing to necessarily go to each and every chapter to check. And for new readers there's not some weird asterisk symbol or something on the chapter titles that might be confusing or off-putting. **

**For the rest of you, I really hope you liked the Prologue that was added. And I promise there will be answers in Book 3 to the questions that the Prologue raises. I've taken inspiration from lots of sources and I really really think this is going to be a fantastic direction to take this series. I'm very very excited!**

 **Until then, I'll try to let you know when I get to updating the Kismet chapters as well as changing chapter titles. And I hope you enjoy the direction that Book 2 is headed! There will be plenty more action coming your way! Getting the band back together is only going to up the ante for our boys in green! Better leadership is going to mean badder baddies and hopefully some happy readers ^-^ Stay safe you guys!**

* * *

"So what was so important that you had to call us out here in a big hurry, eh? It's almost daylight!" Raphael hollered at Casey over the rooftop, Donatello and Michelangelo in tow behind his swaggering gate. Casey just grinned a shit-eating grin and held up a white rectangle, the dimensions of which were easily recognizable.

"Got a special delivery here for some kinda big-ass toad and his brothers, and you aren't gonna wanna wait for this one."

Mikey gasped loudly and rushed forward with his arms outstretched, shouting, "ANOTHER LETTER FROM LEOOOO! GIMME GIMME GIMME!"

Raphael stuck his ankle out at the last second, sending Mikey sprawling across the rooftop so he could pluck the envelope from their friend's hand before his little brother. Mike whined loudly and flailed at his largest brother but Raphael was already impatiently ripping open the paper to get at the contents inside.

"Easy, Raph! Careful, you'll rip the letter again!" Donnie chided, peering over Raphael's shoulder with a half-hearted swipe at the paper that was being crushed between eager fingers.

"Yeah yeah, settle down, I'm workin' 'ere."

"Well what does it say, Raphie, what does it say?"

Once the paper was open Raph held it up in the clear moonlight to read the hastily scrawled message that sat squarely in the middle of the paper. " _Race you home._ "

"No way Raph, I wanna hear what the letter says first! Casey said it was gonna be a good one!" Michelangelo insisted, grabbing at the paper though an expertly aimed elbow easily evaded the assault.

"No, dingbat, that's what it says on the paper! All it says is " _Race you home!_ " " Raph grumbled, oblivious to the way Donnie's eyes had widened owlishly and risen to meet Casey's smirk.

"Guys..."

"What? No way! Lemme see! I wanna see! It's gotta say more than that!"

"Guys."

"Get offa me, Mike, I'm the one readin' the letter today! You had your turn last time!"

 **"GUYS!"**

"WHAT!?" Raphael and Michelangelo both shouted, turning around without detangling their mass of arms and legs. But instead of accidentally smacking Donnie with his outstretched arm intent on keeping the piece of paper out of Mikey's monkey reach Raphael's arm only passed through empty space. Raph and Mikey blinked in confusion at the place where Donnie had been standing, looking around curiously to find him now that they were missing another brother mysteriously.

"Donnie?"

"Don? Donnie-D? Where you at brah?"

Casey just chuckled and shook his head, folding his arms and shifting his weight onto his other foot. "Looks like Donnie's gonna win second place easy peasy."

Furrowed brows turned back to Casey, staring him down until sudden realization dawned on the two remaining brothers simultaneously and in their hurry to disengage themselves they ended up falling over and hitting the pebbled rooftop with an impressive crash. They didn't stick around to hear the end of Casey's raucous laughter at the sight though, as their feet were already flying over New York City in a rush to get home. It was rather hilarious to see them dashing away with huge grins like kids on Christmas morning, a sight that Casey was grateful he had agreed to see and continued to replay to himself on the short walk home.

Unlocking his door he tossed his keys on the little kitchen counter and shrugged out of his coat. It may have been May now but winter wasn't so eager to let go of its grip on the city and he brought plenty of the outdoor chill in with him on his way back. Shaking his head with a chuckle he called out, "You should have seen 'em. Donnie figured it out first, of course, and then Ha! Raph and Mikey! They were fighting over the letter so much they fell over! You should have seen 'em, you would have loved it."

A feminine giggle rounded the corner, clad in a towel tightly wrapped around her middle, using a comb to pick through a wet tangle of tresses. Aaliyah's warm grin spoke volumes without speaking a word, though she did finally speak once she seated herself on the couch. "Thank you, Leo and I both really appreciate what you did. You didn't have to, but I know getting them out of the lair long enough for Leo to sneak in is going to really make today special."

He nodded, looking out the window over her to watch the sun come up. "Eh, it's no biggie. I was getting up for work anyways. But... You know Don's gonna be pissed that Leo didn't bring you with."

"I know." She certainly didn't hesitate with her reply but it was quiet enough he almost missed it over the sound of the comb. "They just need some brother time first, whether Donnie likes it or not. I'll go down in a little bit. At the very least it was nice to have a real, actual shower again." She snorted quietly to herself, looking up at Casey with muted humor in her smile. "Let me tell you, the whole 'showering in a waterfall' thing is definitely Not as glamorous as the movies makes it seem. And riverside sponge baths get old Very fast."

He huffed a puff of air through his nose in an acknowledgement of her nostalgic stab at humor. "Yeah, I can imagine. So... uh... you... need anything? Or... uh..."

"Oh, no, if you need to go about your morning routine, please. By all means go ahead. I'm going to see if I can't braid this hot mess and my clothes should be done drying by then. Thank you again for that." The comb was sliding more easily through her hair now in spite of the occasional snag from a missed little tangle of hair. "I kindof suck at it so it may take me a minute."

Casey nodded once and put his hand up in quick thanks as he strode into the bathroom, closing it with a click behind him. The pleasant smile dropped from her lips and eyes alike, leaving her alone in the quiet to finally feel the melancholy that had been tugging at her chest ever since she'd cheerfully suggested the surprise to Leo on the plane ride home. She knew it was going to be hard but imagining it and living it were two very different things.

It was so, so painfully hard imagining the reunion happening a dozen blocks east and four stories beneath her feet, what Mikey's laugh and Leo's expression were probably like as Raphael bear-hugged the air right out of his lungs. Dad's eyes brimming with tears as he finally got to see his son home and well, Leo dropping to his knees to cling to his furry father. But no matter the weight in her heart it still couldn't change the fact that their family needed some time to just b-

 **BAM! BAM! BAM!**

Aaliyah jumped and squealed at the hammering coming from the window, being ripped from her private thoughts so suddenly only to look up in terror and be met with the intensity of Donatello's eyes on the other side of the glass. Frozen in shock she could only blink with wide eyes at the sunlit figure until a gentler, but more insistent, knocking finally dragged her to her feet and had her rushing across the hardwood.

"Donnie!? What the ever living hell!?" She chastised him as she unlocked the window and tugged one-handedly at the glass to crack it open. "Dammit you! It's fricking daylight outside! You could be seen! Why aren't you with Leonardo?"

Eager green hands finished the task of opening the window wide enough to slip inside in one fluid motion and close it behind him, yanking the curtains closed with perhaps a little more force than absolutely necessary. "Why aren't I with Leonardo? Why weren't _YOU_ with Leonardo?"

"BECAUSE FAMILY BONDING TIME THAT'S WHY!" Her one arm gestured wildly towards the outside world he'd just come from as he turned on his heel, still panting from the sprint that had carried him here, and pinned her under an incredulous look.

"Fam- Aaliyah..." His hands reached forward, hesitating between them as he bashfully considered her state of undress before finding chaste purchase on her cotton-swathed hips and digging his fingertips in greedily. "You are family."

The creases of fury on her forehead smoothed out as she sighed in defeat, a little smile tugging at her mouth even as the rest of her was tugged against his plastron. It was impossible to avoid stiffening up when the bare skin of her arm met the freezing cold armor but other than a little jump and the silent clench of teeth against the cold she didn't try to resist the almost crushing embrace. The sweetness of his lips first touching her forehead, and then her cheek, and then nuzzling a path to find her mouth might have had her forgetting just how cold her reptilian boyfriend was... if Casey hadn't chosen that moment to come striding out of the bathroom and groan loudly at seeing who had joined them in his apartment.

"Seriously... Donnie... listen, I gotta go to work. I know it's daylight out now but really? Just..." He grumbled as the two love birds blushed in embarrassment and stepped a quarter of a step apart, drawing Casey's eyes into a bemused eye roll that was underpinned by him snatching his keys off of the countertop. "Just Do Not have sex on my couch ok? I mean it. And lock up when you leave. Later."

The slam of his door as Casey quickly exited had both of them standing there a bit awkwardly in silence for a moment until Donnie asked quietly, "Do you think that means we have permission to use his bed?"

Aaliyah choked a bit and ended up having a coughing fit that was mostly laughter in reply, the buzzer of the little closet-bound clothes dryer pulling her out of Donnie's grip towards the tail end of her fit. "Absolutely not, besides I'm trying to get dressed, thank you, not undressed."

"Heh. And here I thought I was being given a present I could unwrap." He joked quietly, though his tone and his eyes betrayed just how much truth was hiding behind the tease. It didn't go unnoticed either, and the half-lidded smirk that was tossed over a bare shoulder at him had his hands itching and his throat dry in an instant.

"We are Not having sex in Casey's apartment five minutes after seeing each other for the first time in almost a year." She reaffirmed as she plucked her worn clothes from the machine, warm and soft and fragrant in a way that almost melted Aaliyah into a puddle right there. "But I do need to take this off to put these on, so Maybe there's something you can unwrap today if you promise to behave."

Donatello quickly nodded and hurried forward, only to be walked backwards to the couch by the press of a dainty finger to the center of his pectoral scutes in a way that felt intimately erotic and his shell tightened reflexively long before his knees hit the back of the couch. In full gear he couldn't just fall backwards and drop onto the soft cushions, not that he would have even without the gear considering his bulk. So he eased himself carefully down and, literally on the edge of his seat, reached once again for the soft cotton towel.

It slid through his fingers and parted immediately, rather suddenly falling away, and Donatello's nostrils flared to drink in the dizzyingly glorious scent of her. It hit him like a brick wall made of pillows and he couldn't help himself, head dipping instinctively to press into the softness of her navel while his hands cradled her back and pulled her closer. Gooseflesh erupted all across her skin and delicate hands that had been holding laundry tossed the bundle onto the couch in favor of peeling off his goggles and running soothingly over the dome of his head.

A trail of kisses led from her belly button up to her collar bones before a new puckering of the flesh there drew his attention and his eyes finally began to trace the constellations of new scars that littered her previously flawless skin. Three fingered hands soon followed after, tracing their sizes and shapes as they silently worked out their age and just exactly how bad the wounds had been. It broke his heart to know, and see plainly, that there had been pain he wasn't there to fix and it twisted his gut to see that some had been rather nasty at the time of their origin.

A set of round marks that patterned her right arm were particularly troublesome and once he'd fished out her undergarments from the pile he brushed his fingers over the scars and asked, "What did this to you?"

Her shoulders lifted in a slight shrug as she turned around to allow him to fit the clasps of her bra together, care carefully crafting her words to try to avoid worrying the owlish eyes that poured over her skin and left weighty trails in their wake. "Snake. Leo had to help get him off."

Reproachful eyes begged her for more when she turned back around and relenting she finally explained, "It was our first week in Costa Rica, the day we sent a letter to you guys. I was on my way out of the village when a huge snake grabbed my hand. I didn't even see him there, to this day I don't even know what kind it was actually. But it had these wicked, backwards-angled teeth so when you try to pull your hand out it just digs the teeth in harder. Leo almost got spotted trying to help me drag it deeper into the jungle so we could figure out how to get it off."

The subtle tightening of his grip on her waist was telling and her little hands smoothed over his to reassure him that everything was ok now. "He wanted to just cut it open, behead it basically so I didn't lose my hand. I kindof agreed but I just couldn't tell him to do it. The poor thing really was trying to get away once it realized I was not a super great thing to latch onto and it just didn't seem fair to kill it over a misunderstanding. Basically I had to shove my hand deeper down its throat to get the teeth out of my hand while Leo held its mouth open and then we ran like hell. I may possibly have developed a slight fear of snakes after that..."

While she spoke Donatello helped her into her pants, taking note of a few deep, long scars that he'd have to ask about later. Pulling her into his lap next came socks and a smattering of kisses to her shoulders and the back of her neck. "And what about this one?"

The gentle brush of one finger over the shining line of skin at the apex of her shoulder tugged her lips into a grin and she shook her head. "Mongolia. I was lucky, I could have been shot but it just grazed me. I think it was a ricochet but the whole mess is kindof a blur, honestly. I was just trying to get Leo close enough to the fire to warm him up so he could move again."

Donatello growled at the thought of anyone shooting at her and cuddled Aaliyah closer, burying his face into her neck despite the difficulty his glasses presented. "The one on your ankle?"

Donatello couldn't see the bemused smile that spread softly over her face but he certainly did feel her turning around in his lap and take his cheeks in her hands. "Are you really going to ask about every single one? You know it's not going to do your nerves any good."

"I just need to know who hurt you." His brow knit together and he sighed, arms wrapping snugly around her bare waist. "I need to know what it was Leo couldn't protect you from."

"My own stubbornness and blonde-ness, Donnie, and nothing more than that. Leo can't protect me from myself and neither can you. So please, honey, don't blame any of this on your brother."

Donnie's eyes dropped to the floor off to the side, feeling a bit stung but unwilling to argue the point further. Instead he just clung to the soft, lithe form seated in his lap and wished he'd been there. It wasn't a new feeling, it had become something of a habit over the past seven months to fall back on whenever things weren't flowing smoothly at home. But he never thought that feeling would hit him as hard as it did then, with the evidence of missed toil and pain etched forever into her skin finally staring him full in the face.

He was pulled from his thoughts by the feel of her lips covering his, the unfamiliarity of it heating his cheeks into a flushed forest green but he'd be damned if he let his own natural shyness deny him this. Pushing through the butterflies in his stomach and the pounding in his chest he kissed her back, one hand snaking up her spine to hold the back of her head tenderly in place while the other anchored itself on her waist. The taste of her was just as addictive as before and doubly so when the wet heat of her tongue slipped between his teeth and traced the shape of a tiny, searing little heart on his.

A choked whimper snuck its way out of his throat and if his eyes had been open his glasses wouldn't have helped the swirling behind his eyelids now that his senses were completely suffused in everything he'd ached for since she'd left. Donatello was finally home, finally tasting freedom and the weight of worry and fear that had held him captive without his knowledge dropped away so suddenly he could feel himself growing emotional.

She was here, alive, whole, and still wanted him.

As a rational turtle he didn't believe in miracles... but this was a miracle if there ever was one.

Breathing heavily through the swelling in his chest his kisses grew desperate and greedy, wanton and sloppy in the safety of the empty apartment where prying eyes couldn't reach. Aaliyah's moan, light and airy, in response to his silent plea pulled his mouth lower so he could taste the tenderness of her throat. It was an automatic response, performed without question in a dreamy haze of want. The constant whirring of his mind was quiet now, and it was a state of peace that not even sleep was kind enough to grant the frazzled terrapin most days. But here it was in her arms and though she squirmed and giggled at the teasing tickle of his lips lighting over every inch of her skin he could reach it was still the quietest moment he'd had in a very long time.

"Aack, Donnie, stahp. That tickles! And we need to get you back home." She chided, lightly pushing him away. He grumbled through a mouthful of neck and nipped at her, making her jump and yelp in surprise before her nimble fingers found their way to his tender sides and prodded for that sensitive place up under the rim of his shell so she could retaliate. His ninja training had her hands captured easily before she could get him back, though, a shy smirk urging at his lips.

"Do we really have to? I mean, we could stay here today. We don't have to go back. Logically it would actually make much more sense to stay indoors where the likelihood of being seen-"

He didn't get to finish his argument, however, as a sneaky pair of lips attached themselves to his neck just beneath his jaw and began to trail a path of nibbles and kisses down to the junction at his shoulder, leaving him a stuttering mess of fluttering eyelashes and trembling hands that no longer had the strength to keep her captive. "Donnie, I missed you."

"I- I missed you too. So much, every day."

"And when the time is right," Aaliyah promised with a grind of her hips against his that had him moaning loudly in her ear, "I will strip every piece of clothing from your body and kiss every single one of your scales. I will ride you until you forget I was ever gone and not even Karai can wipe the smile off of your face. But until then-"

Donnie whimpered at the mental picture that was being painted for him even as her hands dipped between them to rub the insides of his thighs and cup his tucked tail, muscular legs easily lifting up to eagerly press against her for more. "Aaliyah, please…"

"Until then, Donnie, we really do need to get you home so you can spend time with Leonardo. Your brother. The one you haven't seen in over six months?" She reminded him, grinning wolfishly against the scales littering his neck as he strained to get just a little more friction out of her teasing touches. It had been a very frustrating time apart for both of them and the feel of her hands on the neglected places below his waistline was making it very hard to remember why he needed to be home like she was trying to tell him.

"Please, princess, please..."

It wasn't hard to pick out the desperation in his tone or the need driving his hips upwards to hold her up off of the couch cushions. But the thought of keeping him waiting just a little longer, knowing that he would be thinking about her for the rest of the day, was too good to pass up and after a teasing squeeze to his thickening tail through the fabric of his pants she slid out of his lap and snatched up her shirt. "Later, Donatello, I promise. But we're getting you home now before New York wakes up too much for you to sneak out of here."

His head dropped backwards with a low 'thunk' against the rim of his shell and he groaned miserably at the ceiling to feel the almost painful frustration of arousal pulsing in his tail and his shell. "That was cruel, Aaliyah. Vexing, cruel, malicious-"

"You can call me an alphabetized list of adjectives once we're below ground, Donatello. Come on."

And he did, though by the time he'd made it to the letter N the adjectives were more sweet than frustrated which meant that Aaliyah entered the lair in a full blush. Not that it was any deterrent for Michelangelo, who immediately vaulted over the couch as soon as she was within sight and scooped her off of her feet.

"AALIYAH!"

The rest was a nonsensical garble with his face buried in her shoulder and the speed at which he was trying to talk. She didn't mind, though, and simply squeezed him back. It was nice to be able to watch Donnie over Mikey's shoulder as he hurried over to Leonardo to embrace him. But Mikey wouldn't be satisfied with clinging to just one reunited family member, no matter the number of hugs he'd already given to Leonardo. He followed on Donnie's heels and sandwiched himself between the two brothers after a moment of waiting, one hand keeping the little lady tucked closely to his chest while the other clung desperately to Donatello.

Now stuck right in the middle of a turtle pile it was impossible to see anything except for plastrons and scales so she couldn't see Raphael get up from his place on the couch to join in but she certainly felt the impact of him bumping into the pile and the extra hard squeeze that was crushing her rib cage. It was a special moment, though, one Aaliyah didn't want to ruin by complaining about a lack of oxygen. Who needed air anyways?

Thankfully the hug didn't last so long that the crushing strength of four ninjas knocked her unconscious, and she was extremely grateful that when the group hug broke up Michelangelo still had zero intentions of letting her go. Her bruised ribs wouldn't have been terribly happy about needing to walk around, even being carried made them ache in protest. Not enough for her to do anything about it, not when everyone was migrating to the couch and starting to speak in rapid-fire succession.

"Leo Leo Leo! The next one! Read the next one!"

"C'mon Fearless I'm gonna start getting' gray scales if you're gonna take forever just admirin' ya handwriting!"

"Alright, alright, take it easy."

"Mikey did you pull out the letters?"

"Sure did Dee!"

"Shaddap, Leo's readin'."

"But Donnie asked!"

"Shhhh!"

"You shhhh!"

" _SHHH!_ "

"Alright, here we go. This one was from Kazakhstan."

"Where's that?"

"Technically it's the Republic of Kazakhstan and it borders Russia, China, and the Caspian Sea. Did you know it's also the world's largest landlocked country?"

"It sure felt like it."

"What was it like Leo?"

"Flat."

Aaliyah snorted her agreement and Mikey bounced her in his lap, suddenly remembering that she had been there too and could be equally pestered for information about the trip. "Aw come on you gotta be able to say more than that about it!"

"It really was pretty flat. There were a lot of hills too but it was dry, grassy, and flat most of the time. We hitched a ride on several freight trains to be able to get across it. But Leo's the one telling the story Mike."

"Yeah read the letter, I wanna hear the story behind this one." Raphael prompted Leo, who was back to rereading it silently from the scrapbook he held in his lap.

"It says:

 _Dear Family,_

 _It's getting colder now that we're well into winter. I don't know if it's still December or if we've made it into January by now but if the wind and the snow are anything to go by I'd guess January. More and more I find myself grateful for the tin foil space blanket Donatello packed for us, it's probably saved our lives a handful of times already. There's no shelter from the wind out here, only my shell and our packs, which makes sleeping almost impossible. It's hard to write with how badly my hands are shaking from the cold. We've had a few nights where the wind was blowing enough that we gave up on sleep altogether and just walked through the night. At least when we're moving it feels a little bit warmer. Kindof hard to write while walking though._

 _It's hard to tell how much distance we've walked when everything looks the same. But the night sky... I never knew there were so many stars. It's rare to be able to see stars in New York but out here there are so many stars we can almost see where we're going even without the moon._

 _I wish you guys were here to see it._

 _Leonardo"_

"Yeah that one!" Mikey exclaimed, wiggling eagerly in his seat.

Leo chuckled and shivered at the miserable memory, Aaliyah catching his eyes as they glanced her way. They both remembered it well and Leo's cheeks darkened just a little bit at the memory of all the creative ways they'd tried to keep each other from freezing to death.

"It's … pretty self explanatory. We were trying to get to Japan and we had to do a lot of walking in the winter to get there. That was before we met up with this little town in the middle of nowhere. They outfitted us with warm winter clothes and I don't think we took those coats off more than maybe twice until we got on the freighter to Panama."

"What about the next letter Leo?" Aaliyah suggested casually and he nodded quickly while turning the page.

"The next several are just all more of the same. Complaining about the cold mostly. Heh... None of these must have been very fun for you guys to read."

"No way brah." Michelangelo immediately refuted, scooting closer on the couch. "We were just happy we were getting any! I mean you were gone, and without these we didn't know if you were ok or anything."

"No news may be good news in some cases," Donnie added with a push to his glasses, "but in your case no news would not have been the preferred option."

"Read the one from Japan, speakin' o' the place." Raphael grinned smugly, slinging an arm over the back of the couch. "Hearin' about how ya got your ass kicked always makes my day."

Leo rolled his eyes and flipped a few more pages in spite of Donatello's protest that he wanted to hear more about the Yeti family, the resident genius pacified only by Aaliyah's promise to tell him all about them later.

 _"Dear Family,_

 _I'm not sure what I should write today. These past few days have been a real eye opener for me and... I think I may have been wrong about a lot of things. More than I even talked to Aaliyah about. It's hard to realize that every right, good thing you thought you were doing was actually completely and totally wrong but I think that's where I'm at._

 _I finally got to see the greatest sensei of Ninjutsu there is here. I thought I could offer myself as a student and he would take me in and train me since I'd sacrificed so much to get here. He was able to disarm me in less than a minute and put me flat on my shell. He called me names and left me alone after beating me and I don't think I've ever been so humiliated in my life."_

Raphael's smug smirk had slowly been replaced by solemnity as Leo's tone of voice betrayed the weighty emotions he'd been going through at the time, even just remembering it filled his mouth with thick emotion. It took some deep breaths and clearing his throat a couple of times for him to be able to continue, words wavering a little bit even after taking a moment to collect himself. Mikey clung to Aaliyah in empathetic pain for his brother and a hush fell over the whole lair.

 _"This isn't what I came here for. I didn't come to have him destroy me and if I would have known what was going to happen when I stepped foot into that dojo I never would have come to Japan._

 _But maybe that's the good thing about not knowing. Because after talking with Aaliyah about it, the first she's really said anything to me since we left home, I think this is exactly what I needed. I've been... maybe a bit of an asshole. But I was so caught up in myself that I didn't realize it. It makes me wonder just how much I was affecting the team without even realizing it because I was caught up in my own self importance as the Leader._

 _I'm sorry._

 _I don't think I'll ever fully know just how much damage I've done to the people around me but if I ever hurt you because I was too caught up in myself I am so, deeply, sorry. And I promise that I'm going to do what I need to so I can be better. Better for me, better for the team, better for my family. Maybe freezing my shell off for the last few months has been some kind of karmatic retribution for all of the times I froze you all out. Though if it is I'm not sure what I should think about Aaliyah freezing out there with me. I can't believe she stayed around and Donnie I'm so sorry for everything that I've put her through. I'll make it up to the both of you some how._

 _Raph, I think now would be a good time for me to say that I was really skeptical about dad making you the leader while I was gone. I would have picked Donnie, personally. But I hope that you're doing ok. Being the leader isn't easy and taking responsibility for everything that happens isn't easy but I really hope that putting you in charge was the right thing to do and that you're learning as much as I am while I'm out here. And I hope that you can forgive me for all of the times we butted heads because of stubb because I wasn't listening to you like I should have._

 _Mikey, I love you. And I'm sorry that I didn't listen to you as much as I should have either. Sometimes I don't understand you and that frustrates me but I promise that I'm going to try harder. Same goes for you Donnie. I know you work the hardest out of all of us and part of that is my fault. I give you a lot of jobs and I make a lot of demands for gear and I just expect it to be done and that was wrong of me. I'm sorry._

 _There's so much more I could say but I'm running out of paper and if I keep going I think I'll just end up talking myself in circles but I just want you guys to know that I'm finally starting to figure things out. Hopefully I can come home soon. I miss you all so much._

 _Take care of each other,_

 _Leonardo"_

Nobody said anything for a long moment after that, Leo feeling the shame of his actions so acutely he couldn't bring himself to look up from the letter. He'd almost forgotten that his brothers hadn't been around for the grueling work he'd put in to his transformation that had finally brought him home but reading this letter he'd sent months ago brought it all back and he barely knew what to say or where to start.

"Guys... I..."

Aaliyah had exactly .5 seconds to roll out of Mikey's lap before she was crushed in another turtle pile as the brothers all launched themselves at Leo and tackled him to the ground. The binder went flying and Splinter caught it in his paws easily, smoothing the pages carefully in his seat. She decided that it would be safer to sit by the old master for the time being while everyone was still feeling a bit excitable, something her tired and sore body was definitely not feeling in that moment.

Sitting at Splinter's feet, leaning against his knee to watch the boys fuss over Leonardo, there was a quiet peace that radiated throughout the whole Lair in a way that almost instantly had her eyes closing in exhaustion. She and Leonardo had traveled for a full night and a day to make it to an airport that they could use to make it to the United States and then the rest of that night was spent plane hopping from location to location until New York soil was beneath their feet. Casey had been kind enough to pick them up from the airport and drive them close to home, allowing Leonardo to take their packs within easy walking distance of the underground lair while Casey sought pity on Aaliyah and took her to his home so she could shower and wash her clothes. Leo was too excited to worry about getting clean first. He just needed to be home.

And now that he was home there was a deep, almost universal peace that Aaliyah could feel seeping into the very fabric of the place. One that sucked her into unconsciousness without much of a fight and had her slumping in place even before kind claws brushed gently through her hair and an old father whispered his thanks for bringing his son safely home while he clutched the evidence of all the hard work it had taken to bring his family full circle to the place where they all belonged.

With each other.


End file.
